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THE 


SUNDAY    LIBRARY 


YOUNG    PERSONS. 


EDITED 


BY  THE  REV.  HENRY    WARE,  JR. 


VOL.  IV. 

A    SKETCH^j^fiE   REFORMATION. 
"•O't    :-'^«^A^v 


BOSTON: 

JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY. 
1836. 


SKETCH 


THE    REFORMATION. 

- 


BY  THOMAS   B. 


BOSTON: 

JAMES    MUNROE   AND    COMPANY. 
1836. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1836,  by  JAMES 
MUNROE  &  Co.,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of 
Massachusetts. 


CAMBRIDGE   PRESS: 
MET  CALF,     T  O  R  R  Y  ,    AND     B  A  L,  I/O  U  . 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


THE  following  work  is  but  little  more 
than  an  abridgment  of  the  labors  of  others. 
It  is  not  intended  as  a  substitute  for  those 
writers  who  have  given  elaborate  histories 
of  the  Reformation  ;  it  is  merely  sent  forth 
as  an  invitation  to  the  richer  feast  which 
they  have  provided.  For  this  reason,  it 
has  been  thought  unnecessary  to  disfigure 
the  volume  with  notes  and  references. 

To    this     general     acknowledgment    it 

may  be  well  to  add,  that  the  account  of 

Zwingle  is  condensed  from  the  life  of  that 

excellent   man,  translated  by   Miss  Lucy 

b 


VI  ADVERTISEMENT. 

Aiken  from  the  French  of  J.  G.  Hess,  and 
that  we  are  indebted  to  that  lady  for 
the  translation  of  Luther's  letters  in  the 
Eighth  Chapter. 

Newburyport,  April  8,  1836. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 
INTRODUCTION     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         1 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Birth,  Early  Life,  and  Personal  Appearance 
of  Luther  —  Indulgences  —  Tetzel.  1483  -  1517.  8 

CHAPTER  II. 

Progress  of  the  Controversy  concerning  Indulgen- 
ces —  Conduct  of  the  Pope  —  Luther's  Interviews 
with  Cajetan  and  Miltitz  —  Dispute  at  Leipsic  — 
Luther  Excommunicated  —  Burns  the  Papal  Bull. 
1517-1520 19 

CHAPTER  III. 

Charles  V.  Chosen  Emperor  —  Diet  at  Worms  — 
Luther's  Seclusion  in  the  Castle  of  Wartburg  — 
Melancthon.  1519-1522 34 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Reformation  in  Switzerland  —  Ulrich  Zwingle  — 
Abbey  of  Einsiedeln.  1484-1516.  .  .  43 

CHAPTER  V. 

Zwingle's  Removal  to  Zurich  —  Progress  of  the  Re- 
formation—Public Conference.  1518-1523.  54 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Second  Conference  at  Zurich  —  Persecution  —  Ex- 
ecution of  Hottinger,  of  Wirth  and  his  Sons  — 
Progress  of  the  Reformation  in  Switzerland. 
1523-1527 67 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Progress  of  the  Reformation  in  Switzerland  —  Civil 
Commotions  —  Death  of  Zwingle.  1527  -  1531.  76 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Luther's  Return  to  Wittemberg  —  Progress  of  the 
Reformation  in  Germany  —  Diets  of  Nuremberg 
—  Controversy  concerning  the  Lord's  Supper  — 
War  of  the  Peasants  —  Luther's  Marriage  — 
Luther's  Letters.  1522  - 1524.  ...  83 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Death  of  Frederic  of  Saxony  —  Diet  at  Spires  —  the 
Protest — Dispute  among  the  Reformers  concern- 
ing the  Lord's  Supper  —  Second  Diet  at  Spires  — 
Diet  and  Confession  of  Augsburg  —  League  of 
Smalcald  — Peace  of  Nuremberg.  1526-1532.  105 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Anabaptists  —  their  Origin  and  Leaders  —  their 
Capture  of  the  City  of  Munster  —  their  Defeat. 
1533-1535 .117 

CHAPTER  XL 

Consequences  of  the  Truce  of  Nuremberg  —  Council 
of  Trent  —  Preparations  for  War  —  Death  of  Luther 
—  Invasion  of  Saxony  —  Submission  of  the  Protes- 

"  tants  —  Capture  of  Frederic  —  Submission  of  the 
Landgrave  of  Hesse.  1532-1547.  .  126 


IX  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Diet  at  Augsburg —  Council  at  Trent  —  the  Interim 

—  Julius  III.  —  Change  in  the  Conduct  of  Maurice 

—  Maurice     attacks    the     Emperor — Treaty    of 
Passau  —  Conclusion   of  the  Reformation  in  Ger- 
many.    1547-1555 140 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Reformation  in  England  —  Wickliffe — John  Huss  — 
the  Lollards  —  William  Sautre — John  Balby  — 
Lord  Cobham.  1234-1417.  ...  147 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Henry  VIII*— his  Divorce  —  Cardinal  Wolsey  — 
Marriage  of  Anne  Boleyn  —  Cranmer  —  Destruc- 
tion of  the  Pope's  Supremacy  in  England  —  Perse- 
cution. 1509-1534.  .  159 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Character  of  Henry's  Ministry  —  the  Maid  of  Kent 

—  Bishop  Fisher  —  Sir  Thomas  More  —  Death  of 
Anne  Boleyn.     1534-1536.  ...         173 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

Destruction  of  the  Monasteries  —  Insurrections  — 
Pilgrimage  of  Grace  —  Birth  of  Edward  and  Death 
of  Queen  Jane  —  Further  Destruction  of  the  Mon- 
asteries—  Miracles  and  Relics  —  Thomas  a  Beck- 
et  —  Excommunication  of  Henry  VIII.  1535- 
1538 190 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Lambert  —  Law  of  Six  Articles  —  Anne  of  Cle ves  — 
Catherine      Howard  —  Persecution  —  Death     of 
Catherine     Howard  —  Catherine      Paw  —  Anne 
Askew  —  Death  of  Henry  VIII.     1538  - 1547.         204 
c 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Edward  VI.  —  Somerset —  Progress  of  the  Reforma- 
tion —  Joan  Bocher  —  Northumberland  —  Death 
of  Edward  VI.  1547-1553.  ...  212 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

Usurpation  of  the  Lady  Jane  Grey  —  Accession  of 
Mary — Execution  of  the  Lady  Jane  — Restora- 
tion of  Popery — Persecution  —  John  Rogers  — 
Lawrence  Saunders — Latimer — Cranmer —  Death 
of  Mary  —  Accession  of  Elizabeth  —  Reformation 

Established.     1552-1559 221 

f 
CHAPTER   XX. 

Reformation  in  Scotland  —  Patrick  Hamilton  — 
James  V.  — Design  of  Henry  VIII.  — Death  of 
James  V.  —  Mary  Stuart  —  Earl  of  Arran  Regent 
—  Wishart — Assassination  of  Cardinal  Beaton  — 
John  Knox  —  Queen  Mother  Regent  —  Mary 
Stuart's  Claim  to  the  Throne  of  England  arid  its 
Consequences  —  Destruction  of  the  Churches  — 
Lords  of  the  Congregation  —  Civil  War  —  Death 
of  the  Queen  Regent  —  Peace  —  Establishment  of 
the  Reformation.  1525  - 1560.  ...  237 

CHAPTER   XXI. 
Conclusion. •         •         251 


THE    REFORMATION, 


INTRODUCTION. 

AFTER  the  ascension  of  our  Saviour,  the  Apos- 
tles and  their  successors  preached  the  Gospel  in 
various  parts  of  the  Roman  Empire.  Their 
labors  were  attended  with  great  success.  Con- 
verts were  made  and  assemblies  of  Christians 
collected  in  many  places.  It  soon,  therefore,  be- 
came necessary  to  appoint  regular  teachers  to  con- 
duct the  worship,  to  instruct,  and  to  superintend 
the  affairs  of  the  churches.  In  process  of  time 
several  of  their  churches  were  placed  together 
under  the  general  care  of  some  one  person,  called 
a  bishop.  These  officers  were,  at  first,  simple 
and  frugal  in  their  habits,  mild  and  limited  in 
the  exercise  of  their  authority.  But  when  Chris- 
tianity was  adopted  by  Constantine  as  the  religion 
of  the  Empire,  and  the  number  and  wealth  of  the 
1 


2  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

churches  increased,  the  character  of  the  clergy 
was  greatly  changed :  they  became  ambitious, 
and  fond  of  luxury  and  dominion. 

The  bishops  of  Rome  and  Constantinople,  from 
their  residence  in  the  two  largest  cities  in  Europe, 
acquired  great  wealth  and  power,  and  were  con- 
sequently regarded  as  superior  to  the  other 
ecclesiastics.  The  former  of  these  dignitaries 
claimed  the  supreme  power  in  religious  matters. 
This  claim  was  resisted  by  the  bishop  of  Con- 
stantinople ;  and  thus  arose  the  great  quarrel 
which  ended  in  the  division  of  Christendom  into 
the  Roman  and  Greek  churches. 

After  this  schism,  the  bishops  of  Rome  were 
reverenced  by  Western  Europe  as  the  heads  of 
the  church,  and  were  known  by  the  name  of 
Popes.  These  popes  maintained  their  right  to 
dominion,  on  the  ground  that  they  were  the  suc- 
cessors of  St.  Peter,  who  suffered  martyrdom  at 
Rome,  and  who,  (according  to  their  interpreta- 
tion of  Matthew,  xvi.  13-19,)  was  appointed 
by  Christ  to  be  chief  among  the  Apostles. 

gome  of  the  occupants  of  the  papal  throne 
were  men  of  learning  and  piety;  but  many  of 
them  were  crafty  and  wicked,  and  took  advantage 
of  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  people 
to  increase  their  power  and  wealth.  They 
claimed  infallibility  as  the  interpreters  of  Scrip- 
ture,—  the  authority  to  forgive  sins,  —  and  the 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

right  to  excuse,  whenever  they  chose,  the  subjects 
of  any  monarch  from  the  fulfilment  of  their  oaths 
of  allegiance.  In  short,  such  was  the  blindness 
and  degradation  of  men,  during  the  middle  ages, 
that  the  popes  succeeded  in  obtaining  almost 
unlimited  control  over  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
affairs  of  Europe.  Kings  and  emperors  knelt  at 
their  feet,  and  bestowed  upon  them  their  treasures. 
All  matters  of  faith  were  decided  by  their  voice. 
They  were  looked  upon  as  the  representatives  of 
Christ  and  the  vicegerents  of  God  upon  earth. 
They  were  supposed  to  hold  the  keys  of  heaven, 
<md  to  be  able  by  their  decrees  to  consign  all  who 
resisted  their  commands  to  eternal  misery.  Their 
sway  was  despotic  and  almost  unlimited. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  this 
authority  was  obtained  at  once,  or  that  it  was 
never  called  in  question.  The  popes  advanced 
to  their  lofty  station  by  successive  efforts ;  arid 
when  they  at  last  reached  it,  such  corruptions  of 
Christianity  and  such  wickedness  in  manners 
prevailed  in  the  church,  that  the  indignation  of 
good  men  was  at  times  aroused,  and  endeavours 
were  made  to  procure  a  reform.  But  these  noble 
exertions  failed  almost  entirely,  and  nothing 
effectual  was  done  to  break  the  oppressive  rod  of 
the  Roman  Pontiffs,  until  the  commencement  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  when  a  revolution  occurred 
which  put  an  end  to  their  tyranny  over  a  large 
part  of  Christendom. 


4  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Previous  to  this  event  the  foundations  of  popery 
seemed  to  be  fixed  and  firm.  Its  dominion  was 
acknowledged  on  the  Continent  of  Europe  and  in 
England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland.  The  people 
were  sitting  in  the  gross  darkness  of  ignorance. 
Many  of  the  clergy  were  unable  to  read  or  write ; 
some  had  never  seen  a  Bible,  and  the  larger 
portion  were  only  partially  acquainted  with  the 
New  Testament.  Instead  of  being  faithful 
preachers  of  the  simple  truths  of  the  Gospel,  they 
entertained  their  hearers  with  fanciful  lives  of 
the  Saints  and  fictitious  stories  of  their  wonderful 
miracles.  Instead  of  being  diligent  and  exem- 
plary pastors,  they  were  abandoned  to  all  kinds 
of  vice,  and  engaged  in  selling  relics,  and  in  ex- 
torting money  on  various  pretences  from  their 
wretched  flocks.  All  Europe  groaned  under  this 
burthen  of  sin  and  error.  Pure  and  simple 
Christianity  was  unknown  ;  and  a  corrupt  church 
spread  desolation  over  the  land. 

In   the    fifteenth    century,    events   took   place 
which  served  in  some   measure  to   change  the 

o 

degraded  condition  of  Christendom,  and  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  better  things.  The  long  night 
of  ignorance  began  to  break  away  before  the 
gradual  revival  of  learning.  Constantinople  was 
conquered  by  the  Turks  in  1453 ;  and  the 
learned  men  who  had  made  that  city  their  resi- 
dence were  forced  to  seek  new  homes  in  Ger- 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

many,  France,  and  Italy.  This  emigration 
helped  to  increase  the  attention  then  beginning 
to  be  paid  to  the  ancient  languages,  and  to  awa- 
ken a  taste  for  knowledge.  A  number  of  new 
universities  were  founded,  and  many  of  the  prin- 
ces of  Europe  became  the  patrons  of  learning. 

This  beneficial  change  was  also  in  part  caused 
and  greatly  promoted  by  the  recent  discovery  of  the 
art  of  printing.  Before  the  invention  of  types, 
the  labors  of  scholars  were  shut  up  in  manu- 
scripts, and  aece  sible  only  to  the  few.  The 
effects,  of  public  debates,  then  the  usual  mode  of 
carrying  on  discussions,  were  almost  wholly  con- 
fined to  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  hear 
them.  But  the  press  opened  a  new  channel  of  com- 
munication between  mind  and  mind,  and  gave  the 
inquirer  the  ability  to  spread  abroad  among  the 
multitude  the  results  of  his  investigations. 

To  the  revival  of  learning  and  the  discovery 
of  the  art  of  printing,  we  may  perhaps  add  the 
discovery  of  America,  as  another  event  which 
contributed  to  bring  about  a  beneficial  change  in 
the  condition  of  Europe.  The  birth,  as  it  were, 
of  a  new  world,  awakened  the  curiosity,  aroused 
the  enterprise,  and  excited  the  ambition  of  men. 
Their  minds  were  expanded,  and  an  impulse  was 
given,  which  extended  the  boundaries  of  science 
and  encouraged  a  spirit  of  inquiry. 


O  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

The  young  reader  will  find  no  difficulty  in 
comprehending  the  manner  in  which  the  events 
just  referred  to  exerted  a  beneficial  influence  on 
the  religious  state  of  the  world,  and  gave  strength 
and  weapons  to  those  who  were  anxious  to  throw 
off  the  papal  yoke.  The  vast  power  of  the  Ro- 
mish Church  was  owing  to  the  ignorance  of  her 
subjects,  and  especially  to  their  ignorance  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  She  was  able  to  impose  upon 
them  her  absurdities  and  corruptions,  as  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus,  because  they  had  no  means  by 
which  to  ascertain  the  true  character  of  that 
religion.  Her  priesthood  were  upheld  by  super- 
stition. The  glory  of  her  fabrics  depended  upon 
the  obscure  medium,  through  which  they  were 
seen  by  her  half-blind  admirers ;  when  light  was 
thrown  upon  them,  and  the  eyes  of  beholders 
began  to  open,  their  deformity  and  rottenness 
were  at  once  discovered.  Men  saw  how  much 
they  had  been  deceived,  and  felt  how  much  they 
were  oppressed.  A  fit  occasion  was  only  needed 
for  the  commencement  of  a  struggle  between 
liberty  and  despotism,  truth  and  error.  That 
occasion  was  soon  furnished,  and  a  conflict  began 
—  a  conflict  not  yet  finished,  and  to  which  we 
may  attribute  much  of  the  civil  and  religious 
freedom  now  enjoyed  by  the  world. 

The  commencement  of  this  struggle  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  by  which  the  pretensions  of 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

popery  were  resisted,  and  a  large  portion  of  Chris- 
tendom separated  from  the  Romish  Church,  is 
called  THE  REFORMATION.  The  history  of  this 
event  is  justly  regarded  as  among  the  most  im- 
portant and  instructive  in  the  annals  of  mankind ; 
and  should  the  humble  sketch,  which  follows, 
induce  the  young  reader  to  give  to  it  a  more 
thorough  and  attentive  study,  and  increase  his 
devotion  to  the  great  principles  of  Protestantism, 
the  design  of  its  preparation  will  be  accomplished. 


SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  BIRTH,  EARLY  LIFE,  AND  PERSONAL  APPEAR- 
ANCE OF  LUTHER  —  INDULGENCES  —  TETZEL  —  1483 
-  J517. 

THE  simplest  and  most  entertaining  way 
in  which  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  Reformation, 
will  be  to  follow,  for  the  most  part,  the  career  of 
the  principal  actors  in  that  great  event.  We 
begin,  therefore,  in  Germany,  and  with  Martin 
Luther. 

This  celebrated  man,  the  son  of  John  Luther 
and  Margaret  Luideman,  was  born  November 
10th,  1483,  at  Eisleben,  a  town  of  the  county  of 
Mansfeldt  in  Upper  Saxony,  where  his  father 
resided,  and  pursued  the  humble  occupation  of  a 
miner.  He  learned  the  rudiments  of  grammar 
and  received  his  first  religious  instruction  at  home. 
At  the  age  of  ten,  he  attended  school  at  Magde- 
burg ;  but  receiving  there  no  pecuniary  assistance, 
he  removed  to  Eisnach,  in  the  hope  of  being 
aided  by  the  relations  of  his  mother,  who  was 
descended  from  a  respectable  family  in  that 
city.  This  expectation  was  for  a  time  disap- 
pointed, and  he  was  compelled,  like  other  poor 
students,  to  gain  the  means  of  living  by  singing 
before  the  doors  of  houses;  this  he  called  his 
"  bread  music."  He  once,  however,  attracted 


LUTHER.  9 

the  attention  of  a  kind  kinswoman,  who  gener- 
ously provided  for  his  maintenance.  His  progress 
in  his  studies  was  rapid,  and  in  1501  he  entered 
the  University  of  Erfurt,  where  he  attended  the 
regular  ^ctures  on  logic  and  philosophy.  The 
mode  y?  which  these  branches  were  taught,  did 
not  satisfy  the  clear  and  curious  mind  of  the 
young  student,  and  he  devoted  much  of  his  time 
to  the  classics.  At  the  early  age  of  twenty  he 
took  his  degree,  and  after  devoting  himself  to  the 
business  of  teaching  for  a  little  while,  began  the 
study  of  civil  law. 

But  an  incident  occurred  about  this  time  which 
entirely  changed  his  purposes.  One  of  his 
intimate  friends,  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
Alexis,  suddenly  died.  Historians  have  not  ascer- 
tained with  certainty  the  manner  of  his  death. 
Some  say  that  he  was  killed  by  a  stroke  of  light- 
ning, whilst  others  suppose  that  he  was  assassinated. 
Something  there  was  mysterious  or  remarkable 
about  the  event,  for  it  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  the  mind  of  Luther,  and  determined  him  in 
the  choice  of  a  monastic  life.  His  father  said  a 
great  deal  to  dissuade  him  from  this  purpose ; 
but  in  vain.  Martin  declared  that  he  had  re- 
ceived a  terrible  call  from  heaven,  and  that  he 
felt  bound  to  give  himself  to  the  service  of  the 
Church.  "  Take  care,"  answered  his  father, 
"  that  you  are  not  ensnared  by  the  delusion  of 


10  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

the  devil."  Luther  adhered  to  his  resolution: 
"One  evening  he  called  together  his  friends  and 
fellow  students,  entertained  them  with  music  and 
a  supper,  and  urged  them  to  be  cheerful,  for  it 
was  the  last  time  they  would  see  him  in  his 
present  situation." 

Luther  retired  to  an  Augustine  monastery,  and 
submitted  to  all  the  vigils  and  penances  imposed 
by  the  Church.  During  his  noviciate,  that  is, 
before  he  became  a  priest,  he  is  said  to  have  found 
in  the  library  of  the  house  a  complete  copy  of  the 
Bible  in  Latin.  He  eagerly  devoted  himself  to 
its  perusal,  and  was  suprised  and  delighted  when 
he  discovered  that  it  contained  much  more  than 
the  collection  of  extracts  from  that  sacred  book 
then  in  use  among  the  clergy.  At  the  expiration 
of  a  year  he  was  ordained.  The  next  year  he 
was  appointed  a  professor  in  the  University  of 
Wittemberg.  .He  entered  immediately  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office,  and  soon  became  so  popular 
as  an  instructer  and  preacher,  that  one  of  the 
most  learned  men  of  the  day  exclaimed,  "  this 
monk  will  confound  ^11  the  Doctors,  will  exhibit 
new  doctrine,  arid  reform  the  whole  Roman 
Church ;  for  he  is  intent  on  reading  the  writings 
of  the  prophets,  and  he  depends  on  the  word  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  this  neither  the  philosophers,  nor 
the  sophists,  can  subvert." 


LUTHER.  11 

In  1510,  Luther  was  sent  to  Rome  as  an 
agent  for  his  monastery,  and  whilst  there  became 
more  fully  acquainted  with  the  corrupt  state  of 
the  Church.  With  sorrow  and  indignation  he 
heard  the  religious  services  hurried  over  in  a 
most  indecent  manner,  and  observed  the  indolent 
habits  arid  gross  conduct  of  the  clergy.  He  did  not 
regret  this  visit,  as  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  to 
see  with  his  own  eyes  the  real  character  of  the 
Papal  Court ;  and  he  came  home  convinced  that 
it  was  no  place  for  a  sincere  and  serious  pastor. 
On  his  return  he  received  with  some  reluctance 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  ;  the  usual  fees 
having  been  paid  by  the  Elector  of  Saxony  as  a 
mark  of  esteem  for  his  learning  and  piety. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  Luther's  life,  up  to 
the  time  when  he  appeared  in  the  character  of  a 
reformer;  we  will  here  add  to  it  a  few  general 
remarks  on  his  personal  appearance  and  his 
acquirements. 

11  He  was,"  we  are  told,  "remarkably  strong 
and  healthy,  with  a  sanguine,  bilious  tempera- 
ment, and  all  the  robustness  and  industry  of  a 
German.  His  eyes  were  piercing  and  full  of 
fire.  His  voice  was  sweet  and  vehement  when  once 
fairly  raised."  "As  he  was  neither  a  little  nor  a 
weak  man,"  writes  his  friend  Melancthon,  "  I 
have  often  been  astonished  to  observe  how  little 
meat  or  drink  he  seemed  to  require.  I  have  seen 


12  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

him,  when  he  was  in  perfect  health,  absolutely 
neither  eat  nor  drink  during  four  days  together : 
at  other  times,  I  have  seen  him  for  many  days  be 
content  with  the  slight  allowance  of  a  very  little 
bread  and  a  herring  on  each  day."  Horticulture 
was  one  of  his  amusements.  Requesting  a  friend 
to  procure  him  some  seeds,  he  said,  "  While 
Satan  rages  I  will  laugh  at  him,  and  enjoy  my 
Creator  in  the  garden.''  At  one  time  he  applied 
himself  to  a  turner's  trade,  giving  as  a  reason  for 
it,  "  that  he  might,  if  the  world  did  not  support 
him,  be  able  to  earn  his  bread  by  the  labor  of  his 
hands." 

Both  friends  and  enemies  held  Luther  to  be  a 
man  of  talents  and  learning.  Erasmus,  the  most 
famous  scholar  of  that  age,  frequently  spoke  of 
him  with  great  commendation,  until  he  was 
involved  in  a  controversy  with  him*  when  he 
endeavoured  to  undervalue  his  merits.  In  one 
of  his  letters,  he  expressed  the  belief  "that  God 
had  sent  Luther  to  reform  mankind."  In  another, 
he  remarked  that  "  the  cause  of  Luther  was  in- 
vidious, because  he  at  once  attacked  the  stomachs 
of  the  monks  and  the  diadem  of  the  pope."  Writ- 
ing to  one  of  the  Cardinals,  he  admits  "  his  great 
natural  abilities,  his  genius  for  the  explanation  of 
difficult  subjects,"  and  adds,  "  that  men  of  the 
soundest  learning  were  much  pleased  with  his 
works."  "  Pomeranus,"  says  Melancthon,  "  is  a 


LUTHER.  13 

grammarian  and  explains  the  force  of  words ;  I 
profess  logic,  and  teach  both  the  management  of 
the  matter  and  the  nature  of  arguments ;  Justus 
Jonas  is  an  orator,  and  discourses  with  copious- 
ness and  elegance ;  but  Luther  is  Omnia  in 
Omnibus,  complete  in  every  thing  ;  a  very  miracle 
among  men ;  whatever  he  says,  whatever  he 
writes,  penetrates  their  minds  and  leaves  the 
most  astonishing  stings  in  their  hearts."  This, 
perhaps,  is  the  exaggerated  praise  of  friendship  ; 
but  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  by  his  knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  history  of  the  church, 
by  his  argumentative  skill,  depth  of  thought,  and 
command  of  vigorous  language,  the  Saxon  monk 
was  well  qualified  for  his  great  task  :  in  these 
respects  too  he  was  constantly  improving  by  dili- 
gent study  and  extensive  reading. 

The  intrepid  spirit  of  Luther  was  first  aroused 
by  the  gross  abuse  of  the  doctrine  of  indulgences. 
This  tenet  affirmed  that  Christ  had  atoned  only 
for  the  eternal  punishment  of  sin,  and  that  all 
who  obtained  salvation  must  endure  a  temporal 
punishment  for  their  transgressions,  either  by 
performing  here  certain  penances,  inflicted  by 
the  church,  or  by  suffering  the  pains  of  purga- 
tory in  another  world.  From  this  latter  retribu- 
tion, however,  it  was  taught,  the  Pope  had  power 
to  excuse  the  sinner.  This  power  was  thus 
Acquired  :  the  good  works  of  the  Saints,  over  and 


14  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

above  what  was  necessary  to  their  own  salvation, 
together  with  the  merits  of  the  Saviour,  were 
supposed  to  form  an  inexhaustible  treasure,  com- 
mitted to  the  successors  of  St.  Peter,  who  might 
for  money  transfer  a  portion  of  it  to  any  person, 
and  thus  release  him  from  all  danger  of  pun- 
ishment. It  was  common,  in  the  times  of  which 
we  are  writing,  when  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice was  imperfect,  to  refrain  from  enforcing  upon 
criminals  the  penalties  of  the  law,  provided  they 
would  pay  suitable  fines.  This  practice  had  a 
tendency  to  reconcile  men,  in  some  measure,  to 
the  strange  doctrine  just  described.  Accordingly 
it  was  widely  promulgated,  arid  added  much  to 
the  revenues  of  the  Church.  Whenever  the 
papal  coffers  needed  replenishing,  it  was  quite 
customary  to  send  out  a  new  emission  of  indul- 
gences, or  pieces  of  parchment,  in  which  the 
Pope  promised  the  purchasers  of  them  absolution 
from  the  punishment  due  to  the  sins  therein 
mentioned.  The  right  to  traffic  in  these  indul- 
gences was  granted  to  certain  agents,  and  thus 
they  became  a  sort  of  commercial  commodity. 
Merchants  bought  them  by  the  package  to  retail 
them  in  the  various  towns  and  provinces.  The 
business  grew  to  be  so  important  and  general,  that 
a  book  was  published  stating  the  precise  sum 
asked  for  the  pardon  of  specified  sins.  Accord- 
ing to  this  "price  current,"  a  deacon  waa 


LUTHER.  15 

absolved  from  the  guilt  of  murder  for  twenty 
crowns ;  a  bishop  might  assassinate  for  three 
hundred  livres ;  unchastity  in  a  clergyman  was 
taxed  at  a  third  of  the  last  mentioned  sum,  arid 
so  on.  Indulgences,  corresponding  to  these  rates, 
were  hawked  about  by  bold  and  impudent  men, 
who  recommended  these  wares  as  superseding 
the  necessity  of  repentance  or  reformation. 

In  1517,  Leo  X.,  who  then  filled  the  papal 
throne,  in  order  to  collect  funds  for  the  comple- 
tion of  St.  Peter's  Church  at  Rome,  coined  a 
new  lot  of  indulgences.  The  right  to  dispose  of 
these  in  Saxony,  with  a  share  of  the  profits,  was 
given  to  Albert,  Archbishop  of  Mentz,  who  em- 
ployed as  his  agent  a  Dominican  monk,  named 
John  Tetzel.  This  man,  already  notorious  for 
his  skill  in  such  business,  as  well  as  for  his  aban- 
doned character,  began  the  work  boldly.  He 
pretended  to  have  power  to  absolve  his  customers 
from  any  crimes,  however  enormous.  He  could 
release  them,  he  said,  from  the  fires  of  purgatory, 
and  give  them  an  entrance  into  paradise.  He 
assured  those  who  sought  the  salvation  of  their 
deceased  relatives,  "  that  the  moment  the  money 
tinkled  in  his  chest,  the  souls  of  their  fathers 
mounted  up  out  of  purgatory."  "  Lo  the  heavens 
are  open,"  such  was  his  style  of  preaching,  "  if 
you  enter  not  now,  when  will  you  enter  ?  For 
twelve  pence  you  may  redeem  the  soul  of  your 


16  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

father ;  and  are  you  so  ungrateful  that  you  will 
not  rescue  your  parent  from  torment?  If  you 
had  but  one  coat,  you  ought  to  strip  yourself 
instantly,  in  order  to  purchase  such  benefits." 

Conduct  so  shameless  excited  great  indigna- 
tion, and  gave  rise  to  many  complaints  on  the 
part  of  the  princes,  whose  subjects  were  deluded 
and  impoverished  by  the  unprincipled  monk. 
Their  irritation  was  sometimes  exhibited  in  a  ludi- 
crous manner.  On  one  occasion,  while  Tetzel 
was  carrying  on  his  trade  at  Leipsic,  a  certain 
nobleman  asked  "  if  he  could  grant  absolution 
for  a  sin  which  a  man  intended  to  commit." 
"  Certainly,"  replied  the  monk,  "  if  the  money 
be  paid  down."  This  was  done,  and  the  appli- 
cant received  a  diploma,  duly  signed  and  sealed, 
absolving  him  from  the  unknown  crime.  A  short 
time  afterward,  as  Tetzel  was  departing  from  the 
city,  he  was  waylaid,  robbed,  and  well  beaten  by 
the  nobleman,  who  left  him  with  this  remark : 
"  This  is  the  sin  I  intended  to  commit,  and  for 
which  I  have  your  absolution  in  my  pocket." 

Tetzel  soon  came  in  contact  with  Luther. 
Some  of  the  citizens  of  Wittemberg,  who  carne 
to  the  Reformer  to  make  the  confessions  required 
by  the  Church,  refused  to  perform  the  penances 
he  imposed,  alleging  in  justification  of  them- 
selves, that  they  had  already  purchased  forgive- 
ness for  their  sins.  This  occurrence  at  once 


LUTHER.  17 

alarmed  Luther,  and  called  forth  his  indignation. 
He  intimated  from  the  pulpit  the  danger  of 
trusting  to  the  diplomas  of  Tetzel  for  salvation. 
Afterward,  ignorant  probably  of  his  participation 
in  the  affair,  he  wrote  to  the  Archbishop  of  Mentz, 
urging  him  to  put  a  stop  to  the  nefarious  traffic : 
and  finally,  he  posted  up  on  one  of  the  churches 
a  paper  containing  ninety-five  propositions  against 
indulgences,  and,  as  was  then  the  custom,  chal- 
lenged any  one  to  prove  their  falsehood,  either  in 
writing  or  in  a  public  disputation.  In  this  paper 
he  did  not  absolutely  deny  the  power  to  grant 
indulgences,  but  contented  himself  with  pointing 
out  its  gross  abuse.  It  is  worthy  of  observation 
I  also,  that  he  closed  with  expressions  of  reverence 
for  the  Pope  and  of  entire  submission  to  his 
authority;  so  little  suspicion  did  he  then  have  of 
the  consequences  to  which  the  step  he  had  taken 
\  would  lead,  and  of  the  important  part  he  was 
1  about  to  act,  in  diminishing  the  power  of  the 
\  Roman  Church. 

^      But   the  hour  for  reform  had  arrived.      The 
people  were,   in  some  measure,  prepared  for  a 
change,  and  the  public  ear  was  open  to  the  recep- 
tion  of   truth.     Men    had   begun    to  think   and 
.reflect;  they  felt  the  tyranny  of  the  Pope;  they 
saw  the  profligate  character  .of  the  clergy ;  they 
thirsted  for  a  purer  faith ;  and  they  only  waited 
for  the  appearance  of  a  fit  leader,  to  wage  war 
2* 


18  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

against  their  spiritual  oppressors.  That  leader 

had   now    arisen ;    his   sentiments  were    spread 

abroad,  and  his  note  of  alarm   was  echoed  from 
every  side. 


LUTHER.  19 


CHAPTER  II. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  CONTROVERSY  CONCERNING  INDUL- 
GENCES—CONDUCT OF  THE  POPE  — LUTHER'S  IN- 
TERVIEWS WITH  CAJETAN,  AND  MI LTITZ  — DISPUTE 
AT  LEIPSIC  — LUTHER  EXCOMMUNICATED  — BURNS 
THE  PAPAL  BULL  — 1517-1520. 

THE  bold  conduct  of  Luther  greatly  incensed 
Tetzel.  He  denounced  the  fearless  monk  as  a 
heretic :  answered  his  attack  in  a  publication 
containing  one  hundred  and  six  propositions  : 
and  publicly  burnt  his  challenge  at  Frankfort. 
Some  of  the  zealous  students  of  the  university 
resented  this  last  action,  and,  by  way  of  retalia- 
tion, committed  to  the  flames  the  writings  of 
Tetzel.  But  their  conduct  on  this  occasion  was 
severely  censured  by  Luther  ;  "  he  knew  better," 
he  said,  "the  rules  of  ecclesiastical  subordina- 
tion, and  had  more  regard  to  his  own  character, 
than  to  stigmatize  in  such  a  manner  a  person  so 
high  in  office."  He  did  not,  however,  retreat 
from  the  position  he  had  taken,  but  continued  to 
write,  and  preach,  and  to  expose  with  great  plain- 
ness the  growing  abuse.  Wherever  he  went  he 
bore  strong  and  faithful  testimony  against  a  cor- 
ruption, so  injurious  to  the  souls  of  men  and  the 
good  of  the  Church.  This  courageous  deportment 


20  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

led  to  the  belief,  that  he  was  even  thus  early  secretly 
encouraged  by  the  Elector,  of  Saxony.  This  im- 
pression he  took  care  to  contradict;  "  he  desired 
to  stand  alone  the  shock  of  the  contest,  arid  pro- 
tested that  property,  reputation,  and  honors  were 
of  no  estimation  with  him,  compared  with  the 
defence  of  the  truth." 

The  Dominican  monks  felt  that  their  whole 
order  had  been  insulted  in  the  person  of  their 
brother  Tetzel,  and  they  began  to  pour  out  their 
rage  upon  Luther,  and  to  urge  the  Pope  to  crush 
him.  At  first,  Leo  resisted  their  importunities  ; 
"  brother  Martin,"  was  the  reply  he  made,  "  is  a 
man  of  very  fine  genius,  and  these  squabbles  are 
the  mere  effusions  of  monastic  envy."  But  his 
Holiness  soon  found  it  necessary  to  abandon  his 
wit  and  tone  of  indifference.  The  matter  was 
found  to  be  serious.  Not  only  the  venders  of 
indulgences  cried  out  against  the  man  who  had 
interrupted  their  traffic,  but  even  the  Emperor, 
Maximilian  I.  represented  the  heresy  as  danger- 
ous and  popular.  Decided  measures  were  loudly 
called  for  ;  and  the  Pontiff,  with  a  rashness  equal 
to  his  previous  apathy,  summoned  Luther  to  ap- 
pear at  Rome  within  sixty  days,  and  answer  to 
the  charges  brought  against  him.  He  also  wrote 
to  the  Elector  of  Saxony  to  obtain  his  assistance 
in  securing  the  person  of  the  heretic.  Frederic 
was  a  man  of  much  caution,  and  not  prepared  as 


LUTHER.  21 

yet  to  support  the  reformer  openly ;  but  he  was 
also  a  man  of  too  much  wisdom  and  too  strict  a 
sense  of  justice,  to  allow  him  to  be  condemned 
without  a  fair  trial,  and  accordingly,  in  compli- 
ance with  the  wishes  of  Luther's  friends,  he 
insisted  that  his  cause  should  be  heard  in  Ger- 
many. To  this  arrangement  the  Pope  was 
obliged  to  consent,  and  he  ordered  Luther  to 
appear  before  his  legate,  Cardinal  Cajetan,  then 
attending  the  Diet  at  Augsburg.* 

*  All  the  knowledge  concerning  the  government  of 
the  German  Empire,  which  the  reader  will  need  in  order  to 
understand  the  allusions  to  it  in  this  sketch,  will  proba- 
bly be  found  in  the  following  extracts  from  Robertson's 
History  of  the  Reign  of  Charles  V.  vol.  I,  pages  184, 187. 

"  It  (the  German  Empire)  was  a  complex  body,  formed 
by  the  association  of  several  States,  each  of  which  pos- 
sessed sovereign  and  independent  jurisdiction  within  its 
own  territories.  Of  all  the  members  which  composed 
this  united  body  the  Emperor  was  the  head.  In  his 
name,  all  decrees  and  regulations  with  respect  to  points 
of  common  concern  were  issued ;  and  to  him  the  power 
of  carrying  them  into  execution  was  committed.  But 
this  appearance  of  monarchical  power  in  the  Emperor 
was  more  than  counter-balanced  by  the  influence  of  the 
Princes  and  states  of  the  empire,  in  every  act  of  adminis- 
tration. No  law  extending  to  the  whole  body  could  pass, 
no  resolution  that  affected  the  general  interest  could  be 
taken,  without  the  approbation  of  the  Diet  of  the  empire. 
In  this  assembly,  every  sovereign  prince  and  state  of  the 
Germanic  bodj^  had  a  right  to  be  present,  to  deliberate 
and  to  vote.  The  decrees  or  Recesses  of  the  Diet,  were 


22  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Having  obtained  assurances  of  his  safety  from 
the  Emperor,  the  Reformer  arrived  at  the  place 
appointed,  October,  1518,  and  had  several  inter- 
views with  his  judge.  At  first  he  was  mildly 
admonished  to  confess  his  errors.  In  reply  he 
requested  to  have  those  errors  pointed  out.  They 
were  declared  to  be  the  denial  of  certain  doc- 
trines concerning  indulgences,  set  forth  in  the 
decrees  of -the  popes.  To  this  Luther  answered, 
that  these  decrees  were  of  inferior  authority  to 
the  Scriptures,  which  no  where  countenanced 
such  doctrines.  The  legate  urged  that  the  Pope 
alone  could  decide  upon  the  meaning  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  Reformer  asked  time  for  reflection 
and  retired. 

When  he  again  appeared  before  Cajetan,  he 
expressed  his  attachment  to  the  Pope,  and  offered 

the  laws  of  the  empire,  which  the  emperor  was  bound  to 
ratify  and  enforce." 

"  During  a  long  period  all  the  members  of  the  Ger- 
manic body  assembled,  and  made  choice  of  the  person 
whom  they  appointed  to  be  their  head.  But  amidst  the 
violence  and  anarchy  which  prevailed  for  several  centu- 
ries in  the  empire,  seven  princes,  who  possessed  the  most 
extensive  territories,  and  who  had  obtained  an  hereditary 
title  to  the  great  offices  of  State,  acquired  the  exclusive 
prfvilege  of  nominating  the  Emperor,  and  they  were 
dignified  with  the  appellation  of  Electors" 

The  Elector  of  Saxony  was  one  of  the  seven  princes 
above  mentioned,  and  derived  his  title  from  that  circum-  ' 
stance. 


LUTHER.  23 

to  submit  to  the  lawful  determination  of  the 
Church,  and  to  retract  his  errors  the  moment 
they  were  shown  to  be  inconsistent  with  the 
Bible.  All  this  was  of  no  avail.  The  legate 
insisted  upon  an  unconditional  recantation.  "  Ev- 
ery thing,"  as  Luther  afterward  said,  "  would, 
I  doubt  not,  have  been  settled  in  the  most 
peaceable  and  affectionate  manner,  if  I  would 
have  but  written  down  six  letters,  Revoco,  I 
recant  "  This,  notwithstanding  the  advice  of 
some  of  his  more  timid  friends,  lie  nobly  refused 
to  do.  He  waited  a  few  days  for  another  mes- 
sage from  the  Cardinal ;  but  he  received  none, 
and,  being  fearful  of  violence  to  his  person,  he, 
according  to  a  legal  usager  appealed  from  the 
Pope  ill-informed,  to  the  Pope  better-informed; 
an  act,  by  which  he  still  admitted  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Pontiff,  although  he  denied  that  of 
his  legate.  Having  taken  this  step  in  compliance 
with  the  recommendation  of  his  lawyers,  he  left 
the  city.  A  friendly  senator  ordered  the  gate  to 
be_opened,  and  he  departed  on  horseback.  He 
rode  without  boots,  spurs,  or  sword,  and  was  so 
fatigued  with  his  journey,  that  when  he  alighted 
at  night,  he  fell  instantly  down  among  the  straw 
in  the  stable. 

The  reader  will  naturally  suppose  that  in  these 
interviews  withCajetan,  Luther  made  every  proper 
concession.  He  did  not  call  in  question  the  in- 


24  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

fallibility  of  the  Pope.  He  even  offered  to  be 
silent  on  the  subject  of  Indulgences,  provided  his 
opponents  were  ordered  to  be  so  likewise.  The 
only  point  upon  which  he  insisted  was  the  suffi- 
ciency of  the  Scriptures  ;  that  is,  he  strenuously 
contended  for  the  principle,  now  admitted  by 
all  Protestants,  —  that  the  Bible  is  the  supreme 
authority  in  matters  of  faith,  and  that  the  truth 
or  falsehood  of  all  doctrines  and  creeds  must 
be  decided  by  an  appeal  to  its  declarations. 
But  by  contending  for  this  principle  his  enemies 
knew  that  he  was  striking  a  fatal  blow  at  the 
very  foundations  of  the  papal  power.  It  was  no 
part  of  their  policy  to  have  their  acts  or  instruc- 
tions tried  by  an  appeal  to  the  sacred  volume  ; 
and  they  determined,  if  possible,  to  destroy  the 
obstinate  heretic. 

Not  long  after  this  conference  at  Augsburg, 
Leo  issued  a  new  edict,  in  which  he  required  all 
his  subjects  to  believe  that  he  had  power  to  for- 
give sins.  Luther  looked  upon  this  act  as  a 
reiteration,  to  its  full  extent,  of  the  doctrine  of 
indulgences.  He  was  satisfied  that  he  had  no 
mercy  to  hope  from  Rome,  and  immediately 
appealed  from  the  decisions  of  the  Pope  to  a 
future  council  of  the  whole  Church. 

The  contest  between  the  Reformers  and  the 
Romanists  may  be  considered  as  now  fairly 
begun.  For  a  while  the  papal  court  changed  its 


LUTHER.  25 

policy.  The  fearless  character  of  Luther,  and 
the  number  of  his  followers,  convinced  the  Pope 
that  threats  and  severity  alone  would  not  put 
out  the  heresy ;  negotiations  were  therefore  re- 
newed by  a  new  agent,  Charles  Miltitz,  a  Saxon 
Knight,  who  was  sent  to  conciliate  the  Elector 
Frederic,  and  to  settle,  if  possible,  the  dispute 
concerning  indulgences.  Frederic  received  this 
ambassador  with  caution,  and  accepted  with 
some  indifference  a  golden  consecrated  rose  ; 
a  present  much  esteemed  in  those  days  as  a 
mark  of  papal  favor. 

The  interview  between  Miltitz  and  Luther 
seemed,  at  first,  to  promise  an  amicable  adjust- 
ment of  the  matters  in  dispute.  An  account  of 
their  meeting  is  thus  given  by  the  Reformer  him- 
self. "  Charles  Miltitz  saw  me  at  Altenburg, 
and  complained,  that  I  had  united  the  whole 
world  to  myself,  and  drawn  it  aside  from  the 
Pope;  that  he  had  discovered  this  at  the  inns, 
as  he  travelled.  '  Martin,',  said  he, '  I  took  you  for 
some  solitary  old  theologian*;  whereas  I  find 
you  a  person  in  all  the  vigor  of  life.  Then  you 
are  so  much  favored  with  the  popular  opinion, 
that  I  could  not  expect,  with  the  help  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  soldiers,  to  force  you  with  me  to 
Rome.'  After  this  flattery,  he  intreated  me  to 
consult  for  pacific  measures,  and  promised  that 
he  would  endeavour  that  the  Pope  should  do  the 
3 


26  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

same.  We  supped  together,  and  I  was  treated 
with  the  greatest  courtesy.  I  conducted  myself 
in  such  a  manner  as  if  I  had  not  seen  through 
these  Italian  arts.  I  could  only  promise  that  I 
would  do  all,  which  I  could  do  consistently  with 
truth  and  a  good  conscience ;  that  I  also  loved 
peace,  and  was  driven  into  these  broils  by  mere 
necessity.  This  Charles  Miltitz  was  esteemed 
a  frivolous  character,  and  his  advice  was  frivo- 
lous ;  nevertheless  it  is  my  judgment,  that  if  the 
friends  of  papacy  and  the  Pope  himself  had 
treated  me  in  this  manner  at  first,  matters  would 
never  have  come  to  so  great  a  rupture.  Instead 
of  that,  the  Pope  condemned  me  unheard,  and 
raged  with  his  Bulls :  and  the  crafty  Arch- 
bishop of  Mentz  became  the  dupe  of  his 
own  cunning." 

The  result  of  this  interview  between  Luther 
and  Miltitz  was,  that  the  latter  censured  the  be- 
haviour of  Tetzel,  and  admitted  that  the  traffic 
in  indulgences  had  been  abused  ;  the  former  con- 
sented to  write  a  civil,  and  to  some  extent  a 
submissive,  letter  to  the  Pope,  expressing  his 
willingness  to  be  at  peace  with  the  holy  see. 
But  the  light  which  was  breaking  forth  was  not 
to  be  extinguished  ;  the  blind  zeal  of  the  papists 
soon  brought  on  new  conflicts. 

The  famous  dispute  at  Leipzic,  which  occurred 
about  this  time,  widened  the  breach  which  sepr 


LUTHER.  27 

arated  the  contending  parties.  Before  the  in- 
vention of  printing,  as  we  have  already  hinted, 
controversies  were  carried  on  by  public  debates. 
Taking  advantage  of  this  custom,  which  was 
not  yet  discontinued,  John  Eccius,  a  divine  of 
brilliant  talents  and  eloquent  delivery,  being 
anxious  to  distinguish  himself  as  an  advocate  of 
the  Romish  Church,  challenged  Carolstadt,  one 
of  Luther's  associates,  to  hold  a  discussion  upon 
some  of  the  doctrines  denied  by  the  Reformers. 
The  challenge  was  accepted,  and  the  parties 
met  at  the  above-mentioned  city,  which  was 
under  the  government  of  Duke  George,  a  zeal- 
ous Catholic.  The  debate  was  ably  sustained 
for  several  days,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  and 
splendid  auditory.  Luther  was  present  as  a 
companion  of  his  friend,  but  forbidden  to  take 
a^ny  part  in  the  contest,  on  pain  of  losing  the 
safe  conduct  which  had  been  granted  to  him. 
Both  combatants  gained  credit  for  their  perfor- 
mances. The  papist,  it  is  said,  had  the  advan- 
tage in  fluency  and  animation,  while  his  opponent 
showed  the  most  learning ;  the  victory  was 
claimed  by  both  parties. 

Eccius,  flushed  with  his  success  and  encour- 
aged by  the  praise  of  his  friends,  now  sought  a 
more  powerful  antagonist.  "  He  visited  Luther, 
and  addressing  him  with  an  air  of  confidence, 
said  ;  —  'I  understand  you  will  not  dispute  with 


28  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

me.'  'How  can  I/  he  replied,  'when  the  Duke 
refuses  me  my  request  of  a  safe  conduct'? '  Ec- 
cius  answered,.  '  If  I  arn  not  to  combat  with 
you,  I  will  spend  no  more  time  on  Carolstadt. 
It  was  on  your  account  I  came  here.  Suppose 
I  could  obtain  the  protection  you  require,  would 
you  then  meet  me  arid  try  your  strength  1 '  Lu- 
ther consented,  and  leave  was  soon  granted  him 
to  take  the  place  of  his  colleague." 

The  second  debate  lasted  ten  days.  Among 
many  other  subjects,  which  we  need  not  detail, 
the  doctrines  of  Purgatory,  or  an  intermediate 
state  of  existence  and  retribution  before  the  last 
judgment  in  another  world,  —  of  Indulgences, 
and  of  the  Supremacy  of  the  Pope,  were  warmly 
discussed.  We  have  room  only  to  state  the  opin- 
ions of  Luther  on  these  points,  in  order  to  show 
how  gradual  was  his  separation  from  the  Romis|i 
Church.  With  regard  to  Purgatory,  he  admitted 
his  belief  in  it,  although  the  fact  did  not  appear 
to  be  clearly  taught  by  revelation.  His  opponent 
having  allowed  that  Indulgences  were  not  to  be 
entirely  relied  on,  he  immediately  took  advantage 
of  this  concession  ;  speaking  afterwards  of  this 
part  of  the  debate,  "  he  declared  that  he  could 
nearly  agree  to  the  explanation  of  Eccius,  and 
that  had  the  proclaimers  of  indulgences  held  the 
same  view  of  the  matter  at  the  time  of  vending 
them,  the  name  of  Luther  would  probably  have 


LUTHER.  29 

remained  unknown ;  for  if  the  people  had  been 
informed  that  the  diplomas  they  purchased  were 
not  to  be  relied  on,  these  imaginary  pardons  would 
have  lost  all  their  reputation,  and  the  commission- 
ers who  conducted  the  sale  of  them  would  have 
died  of  hunger." 

The  remaining  point,  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope, 
was  a  subject  of  no  little  embarrassment  to  the 
Reformer.  His  own  opinions  about  it  were  not 
settled.  He  was  almost,  if  not  quite,  convinced, 
that  the  claims  of  the  bishop  of  Rome  were  un- 
supported by  the  Scriptures  ;  but  he  thought  it 
necessary  to  reverence  the  "  powers  that  be." 
He  therefore  took  a  middle  course.  When 
Eccius  brought  forward,  as  proofs  of  the  supre- 
macy of  St.  Peter  and  his  successors  the  popes, 
the  expressions  in  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  Mat- 
thew, ("  Thou  art  Peter,*  and  upon  this  rock 
will  I  build  my  Church,"  "  And  I  will  give  unto 
thee  the  keys;")  Luther  answered  ;  "that  such 
an  interpretation  was  confuted  by  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul  themselves,  who  say  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  only  foundation  and  corner  stone  of  his 
Church."  "  He  urged  further,  that  the  words, 
construed  strictly,  must  be  confined  to  the  apos- 

*  In  the  Greek  the  name  of  Peter  (TH-TQO*;)  signifies  a 
rock :  there  is,  therefore,  in  the  original  a  "  play  upon 
words,"  which  is  not  preserved  in  a  translation. 
3* 


30  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

tie  to  whom  they  were  addressed,  and  therefore 
the  authority  conveyed  by  them  ceased  when  he 
died ;  and  that  if  their  meaning  was  to  be  ex- 
tended to  the  Church  and  to  St.  Peter's  succes- 
sors, no  reason  could  be  given  why  all  the 
apostles  and  all  their  successors  should  not  be 
understood  to  be  the  successors  of  St.  Peter." 
"  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  affirm,  that  all  the 
arguments,  which  could  be  adduced  to  prove  the 
superiority  of  the  Church  of  Rome  over  other 
Churches,  were  taken  from  the  decrees  of  the 
popes  themselves,  and  that  these  decrees  were 
expressly  contradicted  by  numerous  passages  in 
the  Bible."  "  Notwithstanding  all  this,  he  was 
not  quite  ready  to  deny  altogether  the  authority 
of  the  pontiffs.  He  would  not  allow  their 
divine  right ,  as  vicars  of  Christ ;  but  since  they 
had  held  preeminence  from  age,  to  age,  and 
since  the  whole  body  of  Christians  admitted  their 
authority,  it  seemed  to  be  the  will  of  God  that 
they  should  reign,  and  he  felt  disposed  to  allow 
the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  as  founded  on  human 
reasons." 

The  argument  of  Luther  evidently  made  an 
impression  upon  his  hearers;  for  we  are  told, 
that  even  the  Catholic  Duke  alluded  to  it.  As 
he  sat  at  dinner,  after  the  debate,  between  the 
two  disputants,  he  laid  his  hands  upon  the 
shoulders  of  each,  and  said  :  "  Sive  jure  divino 


LUTHER.  31 

sive  humane  sit  papa,  est  tamen  papa,"  —  that 
is,  "  whether  he  be  Pope  by  divine  or  human 
right,  nevertheless  he  is  Pope." 

The  consequences  of  this  contest  were  in 
some  aspects  favorable,  and  in  others  adverse,  to 
the  cause  of  reform.  The  judge  refused  to  de- 
cide to  whom  the  victory  belonged.  Some  of 
Luther's  friends  were  alarmed  at  his  boldness, 
and  the  Romish  party  rejoiced  that  he  had  now, 
as  they  thought,  by  a  public  avowal  of  his  hereti- 
cal opinions,  put  himself  in  their  power.  But 
the  learning  and  talent  displayed  by  the  fearless 
monk,  which  extorted  a  compliment  even  from 
his  adversary,  had  great  effect  on  many  minds. 
The  severe  measures,  too,  immediately  taken  by 
his  enemies,  by  which  an  end  was  put  to  all 
the  attempts  of  Miltitz  to  make  peace,  clearly 
show,  that  they  looked  upon  Luther  as  no  mean 
foe  to  their  authority.  Eccius  hastened  to 
Rome,  and  there  urged  the  condemnation  of 
his  opponent ;  and  his  counsel  was  seconded  by 
the  Dominican  monks.  Leo  yielded  to  their 
advice,  and  on  the  15th  of  June,  1520,  issued  a 
bull,  denouncing  Luther's  opinions,  and  excom- 
municating him  as  an  obstinate  heretic,  unless 
he  recanted  his  errors,  and  returned  penitent  to 
his  duties,  within  sixty  days. 

The  Reformer  was  now  persuaded  that  all 
hope  of  a  reconciliation  was  vain,  and  deter- 


32  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

mined  to  withdraw  from  the  Romish  Commun- 
ion. To  prepare  the  way  for  this  bold  step,  he 
sent  out  several  new  publications.  One  book 
was  aimed  at  "  the  bull,"  in  which  he  stigma- 
tized it  as  execrable,  and  called  his  holiness  the 
"  man  of  sin"  predicted  in  the  New  Testament. 
He  wrote  another  book,  called  "  The  Captivity 
of  Babylon,"  in  which  he  lamented  the  conces- 
sions he  had  made  two  years  before  ;  "  his  eyes," 
he  said,  u  were  now  open  ;  he  saw  clearly,  that 
the  doctrine  of  indulgences  was  a  wicked  impo- 
sition to  get  money ;  that  the  supremacy  of  the 
Pope  was  to  be  defended  neither  by  divine 
right,  nor  on  human  reasons ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  Rome  was  the  capital  of  the  kingdom 
of  Anti-Christ."  This  publication  was  followed 
by  a  third,  written  in  German,  wherein  he  ex- 
posed the  vices  and  ambition  of  the  papal  court, 
and  endeavoured  to  convince  his  countrymen  of 
its  cdious  and  tyrannical  character. 

These  books,  being  well  received  and  widely 
circulated,  he  was  emboldened  to  signify,  by  an 
act  no  less  daring  than  public,  his  entire  sepa- 
ration from  the  Church  of  Rome.  On  the  10th 
of  December,  1520,  the  professors  and  students 
of  the  University,  and  an  immense  concourse  of 
spectators,  were  assembled  outside  the  walls  of 
the  city  of  Wittemberg.  A  fire,  kindled  for  the 
purpose,  blazed  up  in  the  centre  of  the  crowd. 


LUTHER,  33 

Luther  came  upon  the  ground,  and  uttering 
these  words  —  "  Because  thou  hast  troubled  the 
holy  one  of  God,  let  eternal  fire  trouble  thee," — 
he  cast  into  the  flames  the  bull  of  excommuni- 
cation. His  example  was  followed  in  many 
parts  of  Germany.  The  thunders  of  Rome  had 
lost  much  of  their  terror,  arid  the  new-born 
desire  for  freedom  was  every  where  gaining 
strength.  The  ranks  of  the  Reformers  were 
swelled  by  a  great  increase  of  numbers,  and  the 
final  success  of  their  efforts  hardly  admitted  of 
a  doubt. 


34  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CHARLES  V.  CHOSEN  EMPEROR  — DIET  AT  WORMS- 
LUTHER'S  SECLUSION  IN  THE  CASTLE  OF  WART- 
BURG  —  MELANCTHON  —  1519-  1522. 

ABOUT  the  time  of  Luther's  public  separation 
from  the  Church  of  Rome,  a  change  took  place 
in  the  government  of  the  German  Empire.  The 
Emperor  Maximilian  died,  January  12th,  1519. 
During  the  interregnum  which  followed,  and 
until  the  coronation  of  his  successor,  the  Reform- 
I  ers  prospered  greatly  under  the  tolerant  sway  of 
1  the  Elector  of  Saxony.  Students  flocked  from 
all  quarters  to  attend  the  lectures  at  Wittemberg. 
The  tracts  and  sermons  of  Luther  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  read  and  heard  by  multitudes,  and 
a  great  revolution  was  going  on  in  the  religious 
views  of  the  people.  This  progress  was,  how- 
ever, somewhat  checked  by  the  choice  of  a  new 
Emperor. 

Charles  V.  of  Spain,  and  Francis  I.  of  France, 
the  two  greatest  monarchs  in  Europe,  were  rival 
aspirants  for  the  vacant  throne.  For  some  time, 
the  electors  were  averse  to  the  pretensions  of 
both  these  royal  candidates.  They  felt  unwilling 
to  trust  the  sceptre  to  any  foreign  prince,  and 
consequently  by  the  first  ballot  they  made 


LUTHER.  35 

choice  of  Frederic  the  Wise;  of  Saxony.  But 
this  nobleman,  sacrificing  his  personal  ambition 
to  the  good  of  the  country,  magnanimously  de- 
clined the  appointment.  He  thought  the  state 
of  affairs  demanded  the  election  of  some  pow- 
erful monarch,  and  gave  his  influence  in  favor 
of  Charles,  as  the  only  sovereign,  in  his  opinion, 
capable  of  maintaining  the  dignity  of  the  empire. 
Such  disinterested  and  patriotic  conduct  won 
the  admiration  of  his  colleagues;  they  listened 
to  his  advice,  and  on  the  28th  of  July,  unani- 
mously agreed  to  bestow  the  imperial  crown 
upon  the  king  of  Spain. 

During  the  contest  for  the  German  throne, 
Charles  had  sedulously  courted  the  assistance  of 
Leo  X.  The  friendship  of  the  Pontiff  was  still 
of  importance  to  him,  since  his  rival  Francis  was 
frowning  with  indignation  at  his  late  disappoint- 
ment, and  only  waited  for  a  plausible  pretext  to 
commence  hostilities.  Of  this  fact,  the  Pope 
was  well  aware,  and  consequently  he  imme- 
diately determined  to  profit  by  it.  He  called 
upon  the  Emperor  as  the  Defender  of  the  Faith, 
to  punish  the  heretical  Luther  without  delay. 
But  Charles  was  under  too  great  and  too  recent 
obligations  to  Frederic  of  Saxony,  by  whom  the 
Reformer  and  his  followers  were  supposed  to  be 
countenanced,  to  venture  rashly  upon  so  decided 
a  measure.  It  would  have  been  not  only  un- 


36  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

grateful,  but  unsafe,  to  condemn  without  a  hear- 
ing the  subject  of  a  Prince,  to  whom  he  was 
indebted  for  his  new  kingdom.  He  resolved  to 
give  Luther  a  fair  trial,  and  to  refer  the  contro- 
versy between  him  and  the  Pope  to  a  diet  or 
convention  of  the  German  princes,  which  was 
soon  to  meet  at  Worms. 

Luther  was  immediately  ordered  to  appear 
before  this  tribunal ;  and  having  obtained  assur- 
ances of  his  safety  from  the  emperor,  he  prepared 
to  set  out  on  his  journey.  Many  of  his  friends 
endeavoured  to  dissuade  him  from  this  undertak- 
ing. They  feared  that,  notwithstanding  the 
safe-conduct  which  had  been  granted,  his  ad- 
versaries, when  they  once  had  him  in  their 
power,  might  be  tempted  to  put  him  to  death. 
The  Reformer  refused  to  listen  to  their  suspi- 
cion, and  on  one  occasion,  he  declared  that, 
"  he  would  go  to  Worms,  if  there  were  as  many 
devils  there  as  tiles  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses." 
Animated  by  such  boldness  and  zeal,  he  pursued 
his  way,  stopping  at  the  large  towns  through 
which  he  passed,  sometimes  to  preach,  and 
sometimes  to  enjoy  musical  entertainments  and 
other  recreations.  He  arrived  at  the  city  on  the 
18th  of  April,  and  the  next  day  was  conducted 
to  the  diet  by  the  marshal  of  the  empire.  Two 
questions  were  then  put  to  him ;  1.  Whether  he 
acknowledged  certain  books,  which  were  laid 


LUTHER.  37 

before  him,  to  be  his  writings  ?  2.  Whether 
he  was  ready  to  recant  the  opinions  they  con- 
tained ?  After  hearing  the  titles  of  the  volumes 
read  over,  he  answered  the  first  of  these  inquiries 
in  the  affirmative.  With  regard  to  the  second, 
he  requested  time  for  deliberation,  and  then 
retired.  On  the  morrow,  he  again  appeared, 
and  replied  at  length  to  the  interrogatories. 
"  His  books,'1  he  said,  "  were  of  different  kinds. 
Some  treated  of  a  Christian's  faith  and  life  ; 
others  were  directed  against  papacy  and  its  de- 
fenders. The  former  he  could  not  renounce, 
because  even  his  enemies  admitted  that  they 
contained  much  good  matter.  The  latter  he 
could  not  renounce,  unless  convinced,  by  sound 
argument  or  the  word  of  God,  that  they  were 
contrary  to  the  truth."  This  speech  did  not  sat- 
isfy his  opponents ;  and  being  repeatedly  exhorted 
to  acknowledge  his  errors,  he  closed  the  debate 
with  these  words :  "  Here  I  stand:  I  can  say 
no  more :  God  help  me.  Amen." 

Luther  did  not  again  appear  before  the  Diet.  The 
Emperor  caused  him  to  be  informed,  that  unless 
he  would  be  reconciled  to  the  Church,  he  must 
do  as  the  laws  required.  Accordingly,  at  the 
close  of  the  session,  a  bill  was  passed,  by  virtue  of 
which,  "  after  the  twenty-one  days  of  safe-con- 
duct expired,  no  man  might  harbour  or  conceal 
Luther,  on  pain  of  treason ;  but  whosoever  should 
4 


38  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

find  him  in  any  place,  was  to  apprehend  and  de- 
liver him  up  to  the  Emperor  ;  and  all  his  adherents 
were  to  be  seized  in  the  public  streets,  imprisoned, 
and  stript  of  all  their  goods."  This  edict,  severe 
as  it  was  in  appearance,  had  but  little  effect.  If 
Charles  was  earnest  to  enforce  it,  —  a  supposition 
that  appears  very  improbable,  when  it  is  remem- 
bered how  much  he  was  indebted  to  the  Elector 
of  Saxony,  who  favored  the  Reformer,  —  political 
affairs  of  great  importance  which  demanded  his 
immediate  attention,  and  the  increasing  populari- 
ty of  the  new  opinions,  prevented  him  from  pro- 
ceeding to  extremities.  Some  historians  even 
suppose,  that  the  Emperor  connived  at  the  plan 
which  was  adopted  to  protect  the  heretic  ;  whether 
he  did  so  or  not,  certain  it  is  that  the  Edict  of 
Worms  was  never  executed. 

To  preserve  his  outlawed  subject  from  harm, 
until  the  storm  should  blow  over,  Frederic  the 
Wise  contrived  the  following  expedient.  Soon 
after  Luther  left  the  city  on  his  return  home, 
the  Elector  caused  him  to  be  way-laid  by  a 
band  of  disguised  horsemen,  and  carried  to  the 
Castle  of  Wartburg,  a  strong-hold  in  the  moun- 
tains, built  about  the  year  1069,  which  is  still 
standing ;  the  room  occupied  by  the  Reformer,  is 
now  pointed  out  to  visitors.  Whilst  Luther  re- 
sided in  this  place,  he  wore  the  dress  of  a  coun- 
try gentleman,  suffered  his  hair  and  beard  to 


LUTHER,  39 

grow,  and  assumed  the  name  of  Yonkee  George. 
Occasionally  he  accompanied  the  hunters  in  their 
excursions  after  game ;  but,  from  the  following 
extract  of  a  letter  to  a  friend,  it  appears  that  such 
an  amusement  was  little  to  his  taste.  "Give 
yourself  no  concern  in  regard  to  my  suffering  in 
this  exile.  It  is  of  no  consequence  to  me,  pro- 
vided I  am  not  burthensome  to  the  people  of  this 
house.  1  suppose  the  prince  supports  me,  other- 
wise I  would  not  stay  an  hour  here.  Lately  I 
spent  two  days  in  witnessing  the  painful  pleasure 
of  those  famous  people  called  hunters  and  fowl- 
ers. We  caught  two  hares  and  some  miserable 
young  partridges.  Laudable  employment  indeed 
for  men  of  leisure!  For  my  part,  theological 
subjects  occupied  my  thoughts  even  while  I  was 
among  the  dogs  and  nets.  And  any  pleasure  that 
I  might  receive  from  this  species  of  relaxation 
was  fully  balanced,  by  the  sentiments  of  grief 
and  pity  excited  in  my  mind  by  an  interpretation 
which  I  could  not  but  give  to  the  symbolical 
scenes  at  that  time  under  my  contemplation. 
This,  thought  I,  is  an  exact  representation  of 
Satan,  who  by  his  snares  and  his  dogs,  namely 
the  corrupt  theologians  and  ecclesiastical  rulers, 
pursues  and  entangles  simple,  faithful  souls,  in 
the  same  way  that  harmless  hares  and  partridges 
are  taken.  The  similitude  was  so  striking  as  to 
affect  me  exceedingly." 


40  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Luther  called  the  castle  his  Patmos,  after  the 
island  to  which  the  Apostle  John  is  supposed  to 
have  been  banished.  He  felt  his  confinement 
severely  and  declared,  "  that  for  the  glory  of  the 
word  of  God,  and  for  the  mutual  confirmation  of 
himself  and  others,  he  would  rather  burn  on 
coals,  than  live  there  alone."  Notwithstanding 
this  appearance  of  despondency,  he  was  far  from 
being  idle.  He  wrote  many  letters  and  several 
little  treatises.  He  also  commenced  his  cele- 
brated translation  of  the  Bible  into  German  : 
a  work  whose  value  we  can  in  some  degree 
estimate,  when  we  are  told  that  the  divines  of 
the  university  at  Paris  had  maintained  before  Par- 
liament, that  "  religion  was  undone  if  the  study 
of  Greek  and  Hebrew  was  permitted,"  —  and 
that  a  monkish  writer  uttered  such  a  sentiment 
as  this,  —  "  a  new  language  has  been  invented, 
which  is  called  Greek ;  guard  carefully  against 
it ;  it  is  the  mother  of  every  species  of  heresy. 
I  observe  in  the  hands  of  a  great  many  people, 
a  book  written  in  this  language,  which  they  call 
the  New-Testament.  It  is  a  book  full  of  thorns 
and  serpents.  With  respect  to  Hebrew,  it  is 
certain,  my  dear  brethren,  that  whoever  learns 
it,  immediately  becomes  a  Jew." 

While  Luther  remained  in  seclusion,  his  place 
at  Wittemberg  was  filled  by  a  learned  and  amia- 
ble man,  who  was  of  great  service  to  the  Refor- 


LUTHER.  41 

mation.     This  individual  was  Philip  Melancthon, 
who  was  born  at  Bretten,  a  town  in  the  province 
of  the  Rhine.      His  father  was   keeper   of  the 
armory,  and  his  mother  a  near  relative  of  Reuch- 
lin,  a  famous  scholar,  by  whose  advice,  and  in 
accordance  to  a  custom  among  students  at  that 
time,  his  German  name  of  Schwartzerdt  (Black 
castle)    was    changed    into   the    Greek     appel- 
lation   Melancthon,   of  the    same    signification. 
In  1510,  Philip  entered  the  university,  and  such 
was  his  ability  and  progress,  that  the  very  next 
year  he  was  qualified  to  receive  his  first  degree, 
and  was  made  instructer  to  some  young  noble- 
men.    When  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  was 
appointed    professor   of   Greek    at   Wittemberg. 
Here  he  became  intimate  with  Luther,  and  ac- 
companied him  to  the  dispute  at  Leipsic.     From 
that  time  he  stood  in  the  first  rank  among  the 
Reformers,  whose  cause  he  greatly  promoted  by 
his  learning,  as  well  as  by  his  pure  and  amiable 
life.     He  was  married  in  1520  and  had  three 
children,  a  son  and  two  daughters.     He  died  at 
Wittemberg,  April,  1560,  in  the  sixty- third   year 
of  his  age. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Melancthon  was 
such,  that  no  one  at  first  sight  would  have  recog- 
nised the  great  reformer;  for  his  body  was 
diminutive  and  meagre.  But  his  forehead  was 
high,  arched,  and  open ;  —  his  eyes  bright,  and 
4* 


42  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

his  whole  countenance  radiant  with  expression. 
He  was  pleasant  and  wise  in  conversation, 
fond  of  society,  and  so  liberal  to  the  poor  as 
sometimes  to  involve  himself  in  embarrassments 
by  his  generosity.  Gentle  in  manners,  candid 
and  benevolent,  and  an  ardent  lover  of  peace,  he 
was  sometimes  charged  with  timidity  by  the 
rougher  spirits  with  whom  he  acted :  but  no  one 
was  more  firm  than  he,  when  called  upon  to 
abandon  any  important  truth  or  principle.  Al- 
ways anxious  for  pacific  measures,  when  he 
thought  them  possible,  he  was  frequently  called 
upon  to  act  the  part  of  a  mediator;  in  such 
cases,  his  learning,  moderation,  and  good  nature 
won  the  esteem  of  both  friends  and  enemies,  and 
his  influence  did  much  to  soften  the  animosity  of 
the  contending  parties.  In  short,  neither  the 
history  of  his  own,  nor  any  subsequent  age,  offers 
to  our  contemplation  a  character  more  beautiful 
and  elevated  than  that  of  Philip  Melancthon, 


REFORMATION    IN    SWITZERLAND.  43 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REFORMATION  IN  SWITZERLAND  —  ULRICH  Z WINGLE 
—  ABBEY  OF  EINSIEDELN.      1484-1516. 

WE  have,  thus  far,  confined  our  sketch  to 
Germany.  But  this  was  not  the  only  country  in 
which  an  early  opposition  showed  itself  to  the 
corruptions  of  the  Romish  church ;  nor  was 
Luther  the  only  man,  who  ventured  to  commence 
the  work  of  reform.  The  same  causes  which 
contributed  to  the  success  of  the  Saxon  divine, 
were  in  operation  elsewhere,  and  throughout 
many  parts  of  Europe  the  people  were  ready  and 
anxious  for  a  revolution.  In  Switzerland  the 
symptoms  of  the  approaching  revolt  were  appa- 
rent, even  before  Luther  began  his  attacks  upon 
the  papal  system.  The  course  of  our  narrative, 
therefore,  leads  us  to  notice  and  briefly  trace  the 
rise  and  progress  of  the  Reformation  in  that 
romantic  land,  by  following  the  short  but  bril- 
liant career  of  Zwingle.  This  method  of  pro- 
ceeding gives  us  an  opportunity  to  do  justice  to 
the  labors  and  merits  of  one,  who  is  not,  perhaps, 
so  well  known  and  so  highly  esteemed  as  he 
deserves.  His  exertions  were  confined  within  a 
small  district,  some  of  his  opinions  were  not  pop- 
ular with  a  majority  of  the  reformers,  and  he 


44  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

died  young ;  these  facts  will  account  for,  although 
they  may  not  excuse,  the  comparatively  small 
space  assigned  to  him  by  some  historians. 

Ulrich  Zwingle,  the  son  of  a  respectable  peas- 
ant, was  born  on  the  first  of  January,  1484,  at 
Wildhausen,  a  village  situated  among  the  wood- 
covered   mountains    and    fertile   valleys   of  the 
county   of   Toggenburg,    in    Switzerland.     His 
father  was  determined  by  his  early  exhibition  of 
promising  talents  to  consecrate  him  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Church.     He  was  sent  to  school  first 
to  Basil  and  afterward  to  Berne.     At  the  latter 
place,  he  attracted  the  attention  of  some  Domini- 
can monks,  who  endeavoured  to  secure  the  young 
scholar  to  their  order ;  they  succeeded  in  prevail- 
ing upon  him  to  reside  in  their  monastery ;  but 
his  father  disapproved  of  this  step,  and  ordered 
him  to  join  the  University  of  Vienna.     At  the 
end  of  three  years  he  returned  to  Basil  in  the 
capacity  of  a  teacher.     In  this  office  he  labored 
to  improve  his  pupils  in  the  study  of  the  ancient 
languages,  while  he  enriched  his  own  mind  by  a 
diligent  perusal  of  the  classic  authors.     He  did 
not  however  neglect  theology ;  although  his  acute 
and  powerful  intellect  could  not  be  satisfied  with 
the   narrow  views    and  puerile  conceits  of  the 
writers  at  that  time  popular  in  the  Church,  — 
"  who,"  as  we  are  told,  "neglecting  every  thing 
useful   to  man,   occupied   themselves   with   the 


ZWINGLE.  45 

dreams  of  their  own  imaginations,  and  wasted 
their  time  in  descriptions  of  the  formation  of  the 
universe,  as  minute  as  if  they  had  been  present 
at  the  creation;  or  in  the  discussion  of  such 
questions  as  these,  —  whether  after  the  resurrec- 
tion we  should  be  allowed  to  eat  and  drink ;  — 
whether  God  could  have  caused  his  Son  to  appear 
in  the  form  of  a  stone,  and  if  so,  how  a  stone 
could  have  preached  and  worked  miracles."  Such 
subjects  received  little  attention  from  Zwingle. 
He  marked  out  a  more  liberal  course  of  study, 
which  he  pursued  with  indefatigable  industry,  — 
relieving  his  severer  labors  at  times  by  the  culti- 
vation of  his  taste  for  music,  an  art,  in  -his  opin- 
ion well  calculated  to  soften  asperities  of  temper, 
and  to  enliven  the  mind  worn  down  by  more  " 
fatiguing  exertions. 

From  Basil,  Zwingle  removed  to  Glaris,  hav- 
ing received  and  accepted  an  invitation  to  become 
the  Pastor  of  that  town.  As  he  was  now  enter- 
ing upon  the  active  duties  of  his  profession,  and 
felt  anxious  to  be  well  furnished  for  his  ministry, 
he  resumed  his  theological  inquiries.  He  gave 
to  the  New  Testament  an  attentive  examination, 
and  copied  with  his  own  hand  the  Greek  text  of 
St.  Paul's  Epistles,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
himself  familiar  with  their  contents.  In  his 
critical  study  of  the  Bible,  he  was  far  from  rely- 
ing on  the  received  interpretations  of  the  Church, 


46  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

—  but  endeavoured  to  ascertain  its  meaning  by 
comparing  scripture  with  scripture,  and  using  the 
plainer  passages  as  expositions  of  the  more  diffi- 
cult and  obscure.  When  he  had  recourse  to  the 
works  of  other  men,  he  did  not  confine  himself  to 
those  writers  who  were  accounted  orthodox,  but 
consulted  also  those  who  had  been  denounced  as 
heretics,  saying,  "that  in  the  midst  of  a  field 
covered  with  noxious  weeds  salutary  herbs  may 
sometimes  be  found." 

This  independent  mode,  of  conducting  his 
inquiries  led  Zwingle  to  see  and  reject  many  of 
the  errors  of  the  Romish  faith.  But  feeling  the 
importance  of  a  thorough  preparation  before  he 
undertook  the  task  of  a  reformer,  he  was  in  no 
hurry  to  make  known  his  new  opinions.  During 
a  residence  of  ten  years  at  Glaris,  he  abstained 
from  any  very  direct  attacks  upon  the  Church, 
and  confined  his  instructions  to  those  doctrines 
which  seemed  to  be  clearly  taught  in  the  Bible. 
He  urged  his  hearers  to  determine  all  questions 
concerning  faith  or  practice,  by  an  appeal  to  the 
Scriptures.  But  prudent  and  judicious  as  this 
conduct  was,  it  did  not  protect  him  from  calumny. 
The  purity  of  his  morals  and  the  extent  of  his 
learning  were  sufficient  to  excite  the  opposition 
of  the  ignorant  and  scandalous  among  the  clergy. 
They  could  not  indeed  sustain  the  charge  of  open 
heresy,  but  they  complained  of  his  silence.  They 


ZWINGLE.  47 

blamed  him  for  speaking  more  frequently  of  the 
virtues  than  of  the  miracles  of  the  saints;  and 
for  undervaluing  the  utility  of  fasts  and  pilgrim- 
ages, images  and  relics.  The  independent  tem- 
per of  his  mountain  flock,  and  the  excellence  of 
his  own  character,  prevented  these  censures  from 
doing  Zwingle  any  harm.  The  people  were  slow 
to  believe  the  accusation  of  teaching  dangerous 
errors,  when  brought  by  profligate  monks,  against 
one  whose  daily  life,  and  whose  devotion  to  their 
welfare,  afforded  the  most  satisfactory  proofs  of 
his  piety  and  integrity. 

According  to  the  custom  of  his  country,  Zwin- 
gle several  times  left  his  retirement  at  Glaris,  to 
accompany  the  troops  of  the  Canton  as  their  Chap- 
lain. On  his  return  from  one  of  these  excursions, 
he  was  appointed  preacher  to  the  Abbey  of  Ein- 
siedeln,  by  Theobold,  baron  of  Geroldseck,  the 
head  of  that  institution,  who  was  anxious  to  make 
it  the  abode  of  learned  men. 

The  account  which  tradition  gives  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  this  Abbey  so  well  illustrates  the  super- 
stition and  credulity  of  the  dark  ages,  that  its 
introduction  here  will  not  be  out  of  place.  In  the 
ninth  century,  a  monk  named  Meinrad,  finding 
himself  too  near  the  world  in  his  monastery,  situated 
in  a  small  town  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  Lake 
Zurich,  built  a  hermitage  and  chapel  in  the  midst 
of  an  almost  inaccessible  wood,  called  the  Gloomy 


48  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Forest.  He  had  lived  there  twenty-six  years, 
practising  the  greatest  austerities,  when,  some 
robbers,  hoping  to  find  treasures  in  his  posses- 
sion, murdered  him.  The  perpetrators  of  the 
crime  were  discovered  in  a  most  remarkable 
manner.  The  hermit  had  tamed  and  brought 
up  two  crows,  the  only  companions  of  his  solitude. 
It  is  said  that  these  birds  pursued  the  murderers 
to  the  town  of  Zurich,  where  their  sinister  cries 
attracted  notice  and  led  to  the  apprehension  of 
the  strangers,  who,  being  greatly  frightened,  con- 
fessed the  crime. 

Other  devotees  occupied  the  cell  of  Meinrad, 
until  the  close  of  the  tenth  century,  when  a 
canon  of  Strasburgh  built  a  monastery  in  the 
place  of  the  hermitage.  He  inclosed  the  old 
chapel  in  a  new  church,  and  when  the  edifice 
was  completed,  invited  a  bishop  and  other  pre- 
lates to  attend  the  inauguration  of  the  new  con- 
vent. On  the  evening  of  that  solemnity,  the 
bishop  thought  he  heard  sacred  songs  proceeding 
from  the  interior  of  the  chapel.  The  next  day 
he  was  unwilling  to  consecrate  it ;  but  after  some 
entreaty  he  commenced  the  ceremony,  when  he 
heard  these  words  pronounced  three  times, — 
Cease,  Cease,  God  has  already  made  it  holy. 
In  memory  of  this  event,  a  festival,  called  the 
Consecration  of  the  Angels,  was  observed  every 
seven  years  ;  and  the  reputation  of  this  monastery 


ZWINGLE.  49 

was  so  great,  that  the  popes  gave  to  its  occu- 
pants the  right  to  grant  full  indulgence  for  all 
sins  on  the  day  of  the  festival. 

The  confidence  which  Theobald  reposed  in 
Zwingle  enabled  him  to  commence  the  work  of 
reform  at  Einsiedeln.  By  his  advice,  much  was 
done  to  destroy  whatever  had  a  tendency  to 
encourage  superstition.  An  inscription  over  the 
entrance  to  the  Abbey  promising  remission  of 
all  sins  was  erased ;  the  nuns  of  a  neighbouring 
Convent  were  directed  to  read  the  New  Tes- 
tament, and  required  to  lead  irreproachable  lives, 
and  such  as  did  not  wish  to  remain  in  seclusion, 
were  permitted  to  return  to  the  world.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  changes,  Zwingle  strove  to  diffuse 
his  opinions  abroad  among  the  people.  His  two- 
fold office  of  preacher  and  confessor  afforded 
many  facilities  for  the  execution  of  this  purpose. 
Paying  no  regard  to  external  observances,  he 
required  sincere  repentance  as  the  condition  of 
pardon.  He  taught  that  genuflections,  prayers, 
and  mortifications  are  of  no  avail  in  reconciling 
men  to  God,  without  true  contrition  and  a  good 
life  ;  and  in  various  other  ways  he  labored  to  fix 
correct  principles  in  the  minds  of  all  who  visited 
the  Abbey.  Having  pursued  this  course  until  he 
thought  due  preparation  had  been  made  for  it, 
the  Reformer  determined  to  strike  a  decisive 
blow.  He  selected  the  festival  of  Consecration, 
5 


50  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

when  great  numbers  usually  assembled,  as  a  fit 
season  for  carrying  this  resolution  into  effect. 
On  that  day  he  ascended  the  pulpit  to  deliver  the 
customary  discourse.  "  By  an  exordium  full  of 
warmth  and  feeling  he  disposed  the  audience  to 
collectedness  and  attention ;  then  proceeding  to 
the  occasion  which  had  brought  them  together  in 
that  church,  he  deplored  their  blindness  in  the 
choice  of  the  means  which  they  employed  to 
please  the  Deity."  "  Cease  to  believe,"  cried  he, 
"  that  God  resides  in  this  temple  more  than  in 
every  other  place.  Whatever  region  of  the  earth 
you  may  inhabit,  he  is  near  you,  he  surrounds 
you,  he  grants  your  prayers,  if  they  deserve  to 
be  granted ;  but  it  is  not  by  useless  vows,  by  long 
pilgrimages,  offerings  destined  to  adorn  senseless 
images,  that  you  can  obtain  the  divine  favor; 
resist  temptations,  repress  guilty  desires,  shun  all 
injustice,  relieve  the  unfortunate,  console  the 
afflicted;  these  are  the  works  pleasing  to  the 
Lord.  Alas  !  I  know  it ;  it  is  ourselves,  minis- 
ters of  the  altar,  we  who  ought  to  be  the  salt  of 
the  earth,  who  have  led  into  a  maze  of  error  the 
ignorant  and  credulous  multitude.  In  order  to 
accumulate  treasures  sufficient  to  satisfy  our 
avarice,  we  raised  vain  and  useless  practices  to 
the  rank  of  good  works ;  and  the  Christians  of 
these  times,  too  docile  to  our  instructions,  neg- 
lect to  fulfil  the  laws  of  God,  and  only  think  of 


ZWINGLE.  51 

making  atonement  for  their  crimes,  instead  of 
renouncing  them.  '  Let  us  live  according  to 
our  desires/  say  they,  '  let  us  enrich  ourselves 
with  the  goods  of  our  neighbour ;  let  us  not 
fear  to  stain  our  hands  with  blood  and  murder ; 
we  shall  find  easy  expiations  in  the  favor  of  the 
Church.'  Senseless  men!  Do  they  think  to 
obtain  remission  for  their  lies,  their  impurities, 
their  adulteries,  their  homicides,  their  treacheries, 
by  prayers  recited  in  honor  of  the  Queen  of 
Heaven,  as  if  she  were  the  protectress  of  all  evil 
doers  ?  Undeceive  yourselves,  erring  people ! 
The  God  of  justice  suffers  not  himself  to  be 
moved  by  words  which  the  tongue  utters  and  the 
heart  disowns.  He  forgives  no  one  but  him  who 
himself  forgives  the  enemy  who  has  trespassed 
against  him.  Did  these  chosen  of  God,  at  whose 
feet  you  come  hither  to  prostrate  yourselves, 
enter  into  heaven  by  relying  on  the  merit  of 
another?  No,  it  was  by  walking  in  the  path  of 
the  law,  by  fulfilling  the  will  of  the  Most  High, 
by  facing  death  that  they  might  remain  faithful 
to  their  Redeemer.  Imitate  the  holiness  of  their 
lives,  walk  in  their  footsteps,  suffering  yourselves 
to  be  turned  aside  neither  by  dangers  nor  seduc- 
tions ;  this  is  the  honor  that  you  ought  to  pay 
them.  But  in  the  day  of  trouble  put  your  trust 
in  none  but  God,  who  created  the  heavens  and 
the  earth  with  a  word  ;  at  the  approach  of  death 


52  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

invoke  only  Christ  Jesus,  who  has  bought  you 
with  his  blood,  and  is  the  sole  mediator  between 
God  and  man." 

This  bold  and  eloquent  discourse  made  a  deep 
impression.  A  portion  of  the  hearers  were  much 
offended ;  but  many  received  the  new  doctrine 
with  joy.  Several  pilgrims  were  so  much  moved, 
as  to  carry  back  with  them  the  gifts,  which  they 
had  brought  to  the  Abbey.  This  circumstance 
alarmed  the  avarice  of  the  monks,  and  increased 
their  indignation  against  a  preacher,  who  not 
only  exposed  their  vices,  but  who  was  also  dimin- 
ishing their  gains.  But  it  does  not  appear  that 
the  sermon  gave  much  offence  to  the  superior 
clergy.  Zwingle  had  not  yet  called  in  question 
the  authority  of  the  Pope,  and  while  he  confined 
himself  to  local  abuses,  Leo  and  his  court  honored 
his  brilliant  displays  of  talent.  The  preacher 
even  ventured  to  assure  one  of  the  Cardinals,  at 
that  time  in  Switzerland,  that  the  credulity  of 
the  people  was  growing  less  and  less  every  day ; 
that  they  were  opening  their  eyes  to  many  super- 
stitions, and  began  loudly  to  censure  the  idleness, 
ignorance,  and  profligacy  of  their  pastors.  A 
reformation,  he  told  him,  ought  to  be  at  once 
undertaken,  and  to  begin  with  the  highest  eccle- 
siastics ;  the  bishops  must  cease  to  handle  the 
sword  instead  of  the  crozier,  prelates  must  give 
up  wars  and  fightings,  and  the  swarms  of  pious 


ZWINGLE.  53 

idlers  must  be  got  rid  of,  before  the  laity  could 
be  amended  or  kept  much  longer  in  restraint. 
He,  therefore,  begged  the  Cardinal  to  give  serious 
attention  to  the  state  of  the  Church,  and  obtained 
from  him  a  promise,  that  on  his  return  to  Rome 
he  would  endeavour  to  persuade  the  pontiff  to 
take  measures  to  remedy  the  evils  which  had 
been  pointed  out.  This  promise  was  forgotten, 
or  if  kept  did  no  good.  Leo  was  too  much 
engrossed  with  his  ambitious  projects,  and  too 
much  devoted  to  literature  and  the  fine  arts,  to 
have  leisure  or  inclination  to  take  care  of  the 
spiritual  concerns  of  his  Church. 


54  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ZWINGLE'S  REMOVAL  TO  ZURICH  — PROGRESS  OF  THE 
REFORMATION -PUBLIC  CONFERENCE.     1518-1523. 

ZWINGLE'S  reputation  was  now  greatly  in- 
creased, and  the  fame  of  his  learning  and  courage 
spread  in  all  directions.  In  the  year  1518,  he 
was  elected  preacher  in  the  Cathedral  at  Zurich, 
and  as  this  new  appointment  opened  a  still  wider 
field  for  usefulness,  he  accepted  it  without  delay. 
Zurich  was  an  independent  city,  and  the  capital 
of  the  Canton  of  the  same  name.  It  was  like- 
wise infested  by  the  vices,  then  but  too  common 
in  Switzerland,  and  which  marked  the  degene- 
racy of  the  age.  Religion  was  treated  almost 
with  contempt.  The  severity  of  ancient  man- 
ners and  morals  had  departed,  and  insubordina- 
tion among  the  poor,  and  luxury  and  avarice 
among  the  higher  classes,  had  banished  the  virtues 
of  former  times.  "  Letters  wanted  a  restorer, 
both  the  governors  and  the  governed  an  intrepid 
censor,  and  fainting  religion  an  orator  capable  of 
restoring  its  influence  over  the  people."  This 
task  seemed  to  be  assigned  by  Providence  to 
Zwingle :  and  he  executed  it,  with  firmness  and 
fidelity.  On  the  first  of  January,  1519,  he  com- 


ZW1NGLE.  55 

menced  his  public  services.  He  took  occasion, 
to  censure  the  superstition,  hypocrisy,  idleness, 
and  intemperance  of  the  people,  while  he  exhorted 
the  magistrates  to  be  impartial  in  the  administra- 
tion of  justice,  to  protect  widows  and  orphans, 
and  to  preserve  the  liberty  of  the  country  by 
avoiding  foreign  bribes  and  alliances.  The  latter 
part  of  this  exhortation  alluded  to  a  miserable 
policy  then  adopted  by  the  Swiss.  Instead  of 
preserving  a  strict  neutrality  among  the  contend- 
ing nations  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  a 
measure  equally  recommended  by  a  due  regard 
for  peace  and  for  the  morals  of  the  citizens, 
they  were  in  the  habit  of  forming  leagues  with 
foreign  States,  which  were  frequently  the  cause 
of  great  suffering.  These  leagues,  generally 
entered  into  from  mercenary  motives,  served  only 
to  involve  them  in  the  calamities  of  wars,  with 
which  they  as  a  people  had  no  concern. 

The  stern  rebuke  of  the  new  preacher  was  not 
without  its  good  effect.  Many  were  aroused  and 
reformed  by  it :  while  others,  whose  interest  and 
vices  were  attacked,  manifested  great  indignation. 
The  clamors  of  the  discontented  did  not  intimi- 
date Zwingle,  nor  were  they  able  to  destroy  his 
growing  influence.  His  popularity  and  power 
became  great,  and  gave  him  new  strength  in  his 
warfare  against  the  corruptions  of  popery. 


56  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

In  1518  Leo  sent  one  Samson,  a  Franciscan 
monk,  into  Switzerland,  to  carry  on  the  traffic  in 
indulgences.  This  emissary  imitated  the  shame- 
less effrontery  of  Tetzel ;  but  the  Swiss  appear 
not  to  have  been  so  bigoted  in  their  attachment 
nor  so  complete  in  their  subjection  to  the  holy  see 
as  the  Germans.  A  stop  was  soon  put  to  the 
undertaking  of  Samson.  The  bishop  of  Con- 
stance, resenting  it  as  an  interference  with  his 
authority,  ordered  his  parish  priests  to  shut  their 
doors  against  the  papal  agent,  and  exhorted 
Zwingle  to  defend  the  rights  of  the  episcopacy. 
The  Reformer  had  already  raised  his  voice  in  con- 
demnation of  the  abuse,  not  indeed  because  it 
was  an  indignity  to  his  superior,  but  because  it 
was  ruinous  to  the  morals  of  the  people.  He 
succeeded  in  converting  to  his  opinion  the  depu- 
ties of  the  thirteen  cantons,  then  assembled  in  a 
diet  at  Zurich,  and  they  ordered  the  Franciscan 
to  quit  the  country ;  an  injunction  which  he  im- 
mediately obeyed  by  a  hasty  retreat  into  Italy. 

The  deference  of  the  Swiss  to  the  counsels  of 
Zwingle  did  not  however  long  continue.  His 
efforts  for  a  reform  in  morals  were  too  searching 
and  zealous  to  suit  the  majority.  He  preserved 
the  respect  and  affection  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Zurich,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  them 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  But  his  stem  integ- 
rity, his  pacific  policy,  and  his  disapprobation  of 


ZWINGLE.  57 

the  vices,  ambitious  projects,  and  foreign  alliance 
of  the  rulers,  made  him  many  enemies  in  the 
other  cities  and  cantons.  To  this  cause,  rather 
than  to  any  severe  measures  adopted  by  the  court 
of  Rome,  we  must  refer  most  of  the  difficulties 
with  which  the  Reformation  had  to  contend  in 
Switzerland ;  and  therefore  it  will  be  necessary 
to  glance  at  the  political  affairs  of  that  country. 

The  thirteen  Cantons  and  free  cities  of  Swit- 
zerland were  united  into  one  body,  somewhat  after 
the  manner  of  the  United  States.  This  combi- 
nation was  called  the  Helvetic  Confederacy,  from 
the  ancient  name  of  a  portion  of  the  country  over 
which  it  extended.  The  general  government  was 
composed  of  deputies  or  representatives  from  the 
several  towns  and  cantons,  who  formed  what  was 
termed  the  Diet.  The  Swiss  were  also  connected 
in  some  degree  with  the  German  Empire.  Dur- 
ing the  contest  for  the  imperial  crown,  of  which 
an  account  has  already  been  given,  both  of  the 
rival  candidates  endeavoured  to  secure  the  aid  of 
the  Confederacy.  Zwingle,  always  anxious  to 
prevent  his  country  from  entangling  herself  with 
the  affairs  of  other  nations,  strove  to  persuade  his 
fellow-citizens  not  to  listen  to  the  promises  of 
either,  and  to  maintain  a  strict  neutrality  with 
reference  to  the  contest.  His  judicious  advice 
was  neglected,, and  the  Diet  recommended  the 
choice  of  the  king  of  Spain.  A  war  broke  out 


58        SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

between  the  Emperor  and  Francis  almost  as  soon 
as  the  former  ascended  his  new  throne,  and  both 
princes  again  applied  for  the  assistance  of  the 
Helvetic  League.  The  French  monarch  prevail- 
ed with  all  the  members  except  Zurich,  who 
rejected  the  proposed  alliance,  as  inconsistent 
with  the  support  which  had  just  been  rendered  to 
Charles.  This  refusal  increased  the  strong  ani- 
mosity already  felt  by  the  other  cantons  towards 
the  Reformer  and  his  coadjutors  ;  and  the  suffer- 
ings they  experienced  in  consequence  of  their  ill- 
advised  union  with  the  French  had  no  tendency 
to  allay  their  anger. 

While  matters  were  in  this  state,  the  Pope,  in 
virtue  of  an  alliance  made  some  years  before  with 
the  Swiss,  demanded  of  them  a  supply  of  troops, 
to  aid  in  the  defence  of  his  kingdom.  This  was 
the  pretended,  but  not  the  real  object  of  his  holi- 
ness. In  conjunction  with  Charles,  he  had  laid 
a  plan  to  wrest  Milan  and  other  cities  from 
France.  The  connexion  which  twelve  of  the 
cantons  had  already  formed  with  Francis,  put 
it  out  of  their  power  to  comply  with  the  requisi- 
tion of  Leo.  Zurich  alone  was  at  liberty,  and 
felt  in  honor  bound  to  furnish  a  body  of  three 
thousand  men.  When  this  force  joined  the 
united  armies  of  the  Pope  and  the  Emperor,  prom- 
ises and  bribes  were  employed  to  induce  them  to 
assist  in  executing  the  design  of  the  campaign. 


ZWINGLE.  59 

But  they  had  received  positive  orders  to  engage  in 
no  offensive  war,  and  to  these  orders  they  remained 
obedient.  To  the  seductive  offers  of  the  allies, 
they  replied,  "  Were  your  tents  and  all  they  con- 
tain of  pure  gold,  we  would  refuse,  if  in  order  to 
gain  them  it  were  necessary  to  disobey  our  magis- 
trates and  violate  our  oaths."  The  united  armies 
were  therefore  led  on  to  the  attack  without  them, 
and  obtained  repeated  victories  over  the  French 
generals.  The  soldiers  of  the  twelve  cantons 
experienced  great  hardships  in  this  contest,  and 
returned  home  more  disposed  than  ever  to  quarrel 
with  the  Zurichers,*  to  whom,  rather  than  to 
their  own  folly,  they  chose  to  attribute  all  their 
misfortunes. 

It  is  not  consistent  with  the  plan  of  this  volume, 
to  pursue  into  details  the  history  of  the  evils 
brought  upon  Switzerland  by  her  alliances  with 
foreign  nations.  Sufficient  has  already  been 
related  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  position 
occupied  by  Zwirigle,  and  the  character  of  the 
obstacles  with  which  he  was  obliged  to  contend. 

o 

His  efforts  to  abolish  the  errors  and  correct  the 
abuses  of  the  church,  were  not  only  resisted  by  a 
bigoted  attachment  to  the  ancient  faith,  but  also 
by  the  most  determined  political  hostility.  But  he 
was  not  easily  intimidated  or  disheartened.  He 
continued  to  preach  with  great  boldness,  and  to 
advocate  whatever  changes  he  thought  important 


60  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

and  necessary.  Under  his  instructions,  the  respect 
hitherto  paid  by  his  hearers  to  the  ceremonies  of  the 
church  began  to  diminish;  and  some  of  them  ven- 
tured, in  the  year  1522,  to  jieglect  the  observance 
of  the  fast  of  Lent.  These  offenders  were  at  once 
denounced  and  imprisoned.  Zwingle  appeared 
in  their  defence,  and  composed  a  tract  on  the 
subject,  in  which  he  declared  that  all  days  were 
equally  holy  to  the  Christian,  and  the  kind  of  meat 
to  be  used  by  them  a  matter  of  indifference,  and 
that  fasts  were  an  invention  of  the  papal  court, 
that  its  resources  might  be  increased  by  selling 
absolution  to  those  who  failed  to  observe  them ; 
he  concluded  by  requesting  the  learned  to  expose 
his  errors,  if  he  had  advanced  any  thing  contrary 
to  the  Gospel.  This  production  created  much 
excitement.  The  bishop  of  Constance  warned 
his  clergy  to  beware  of  the  heresy,  and  begged 
the  council  of  Zurich  not  to  permit  such  an  attack 
on  the  ordinances  of  the  Church  to  be  made  with 
impunity.  The  Council  paid  little  attention  to 
this  remonstrance,  and  he  had  recourse  to  the 
Chapter,  or  body  of  divines  who  had  charge  of  the 
Cathedral,  and  who  had  chosen  Zwingle  to  be 
their  preacher.  They  told  the  accused  heretic  to 
speak  for  himself.  This  he  did  in  a  masterly 
manner,  by  insisting  on  the  principle  "  that  the 
Scriptures  are  the  only  authority  from  which 
there  is  no  appeal,"  —  by  pointing  out  the  causes 


ZWINGLE.  61 

of  the  degeneracy  of  the  church,  and  urging  "their 
immediate  removal.  One  passage  of  this  vindi- 
cation is  so  true  and  noble,  and  breathes  so  much 
of  the  spirit  of  pure  Christianity,  that  we  cannot 
forbear  quoting  a  part  of  it. 

"  Observe,"  says  he,  "  whither  you  are  tend* 
ing !  You  defend  all  your  ceremonies  as  if  they 
were  essential  to  religion  :  yet  it  exercised  a  much 
more  extensive  empire  over  the  heart,  when  the 
reading  of  pious  books,  prayer,  and  mutual  exhor- 
tation formed  the  only  worship  of  the  faithful. 
You  accuse  me  of  overturning  the  State,  because 
I  openly  censure  the  vices  of  the  clergy.  No  one 
respects  more  than  I  do  the  ministers  of  religion, 
when  they  teach  it  in  its  purity,  and  practise 
it  with  simplicity  ;  but  I  cannot  contain  my  indig- 
nation when  I  observe  shepherds,  who  by  their 
conduct  appear  to  say  to  their  flocks,  '  we  are  the 
elect,  you  the  profane ;  we  are  the  enlightened, 
you  the  ignorant ;  it  is  permitted  to  us  to  live  in 
idleness,  you  ought  to  eat  your  bread  in  the  sweat 
of  your  brow;  you  must  abstain  from  all  sin, 
while  we  may  give  ourselves  up  with  impunity  to 
every  kind  of  excess ;  you  must  defend  the  state 
at  the  risk  of  your  lives,  but  religion  forbids  us  to 
expose  ours.'  I  will  now  tell  you  what  is  the 
Christianity  I  profess,  and  which  you  endeavour 
to  render  suspected.  It  commands  men  to  obey 
the  laws  and  respect  the  magistrate ;  to  pay 
6 


62  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

tribute  and  impositions  where  they  are  due ;  to 
rival  one  another  only  in  beneficence  ;  to  support 
and  relieve  the  indigent;  to  share  the  griefs 
of  their  neighbours,  and  to  regard  all  mankind 
as  brethren.  It  further  requires  the  Christian 
to  expect  salvation  from  God  alone,  and  Jesus 
Christ  his  only  Son,  our  Master  and  Saviour, 
who  giveth  eternal  life  to  them  who  believe  on 
him.  Such  are  the  principles  from  which,  in 
the  exercise  of  my  ministry,  I  have  never  de- 
parted." 

While  the  tract,  of  which  the  foregoing  remarks 
formed  a  part,  was  in  preparation,  the  bishop  of 
Constance  applied  with  success  to  a  Diet,  then 
convened  at  Baden,  for  aid  to  keep  his  clergy  in 
subjection.  Not  long  afterward,  the  pastor  of  a 
small  village,  accused  of  preaching  the  new  doc- 
trine, was  arrested.  This  transaction  alarmed 
Zwingle.  He  saw  that  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  secure  the  favor  of  the  civil  magistrates,  and 
he  addressed  to  them  a  statement  of  his  opinions, 
and  intreated  them  to  leave  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  free.  He  wrote  likewise  to  the  bishop 
himself,  urging  him  to  undertake  the  business 
of  reform,  and  "  to  permit  to  be  demolished  with 
precaution,  what  had  been  built  up  with  temer- 
ity." This  conduct  is  proof  of  no  little  courage, — 
for  the  reformers  were  then  few  in  number,  and 
their  cause  not  very  prosperous.  Luther  had 


ZW1NGLE.  63 

been  outlawed  by  the  Edict  of  Worms ;  the  Ger- 
man Emperor  seemed  opposed  to  any  change  in 
religion,  and  the  papal  party,  for  the  moment, 
had  the  advantage.  These  facts  were  all  brought 
against  Zwingle.  He  was  stigmatized  as  a  Lu- 
theran, notwithstanding  his  repeated  declaration 
that  he  had  formed  his  opinions  from  the  study 
of  the  Bible,  and  begun  to  preach  them  before 
he  had  even  heard  of  the  Saxon  divine.  This 
assertion  had  no  effect  upon  his  enemies.  Their 
attacks  grew  daily  more  violent ;  and  the 
churches  of  Zurich  were  much  divided  and 
disturbed.  To  obtain  quiet,  and  to  sustain  the 
cause  of  truth,  Zwingle  resolved  upon  a  bold 
measure. 

Early  in  the  year  1523,  he  requested  the  civil 
council  to  appoint  a  public  conference  between 
the  adherents  of  the  bishop  of  Constance  and 
himself.  If  any  errors  were  fairly  proved  against 
him,  he  promised  to  retract  them  ;  but  if  he 
should  overcome  his  adversaries,  he  hoped 
that  the  protection  of  government  would  be 
granted  to  him  and  his  friends.  The  Council 
consented  to  this  reasonable  proposition,  and 
invited  the  ecclesiastics  of  the  Canton  to  meet 
in  the  city,  and  settle  the  disputes  about  relig- 
ion. As  a  preparation  for  this  assembly,  a  paper 
containing  the  points  he  wished  to  have  debated 
was  drawn  up  by  Zwingle :  in  it  he  denied 


64          RKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

many  of  the  doctrines,  and  censured  many  of 
the  practices,  of  the  Romish  Church.  He  rep- 
resented the  power  of  the  popes  and  the  bishops, 
the  celibacy  of  the  clergy,  the  doctrines  of 
purgatory,  the  absolution  of  sins  for  money,  and 
other  tenets,  as  wholly  unsupported  and  indeed 
absolutely  condemned  by  the  Scriptures. 

When  the  day  appointed  for  the  conference 
arrived,  the  Council,  the  representative  of  the 
bishop,  the  clergy,  and  a  large  collection  of  the 
people,  assembled  in  the  town  hall.  The  burgo- 
master opened  the  meeting  with  a  statement 
of  the  purpose  for  which  it  had  been  called,  and 
requested  any  one  who  felt  so  disposed,  to  speak 
and  convict  Zwingle  of  heresy.  The  papal  party 
showed  no  readiness  to  accept  this  invitation, 
and  the  Convention  would  have  been  broken  up 
without  the  discussion  of  any  question  of  mo- 
ment, had  not  some  parish  priests  complained 
of  the  arrest  of  one  of  their  number  for  his 
opinion  concerning  the  invocation  of  the  Saints 
and  the  Virgin  Mary.  This  complaint  drew 
out  the  representative  of  the  bishop  in  defence 
of  his  master,  and  in  the  course  of  his  remarks 
he  said  that  he  himself  had  persuaded  the  heretic 
to  see  and  confess  his  errors.  Zwingle  instantly 
arose  and  asked  for  a  statement  of  the  argument 
by  which  the  conversion  had  been  accomplished. 
A  long  harangue  upon  the  necessity  of  union 


ZWINGLE.  65 

in  the  church,  and  the  reverence  due  to  the 
popes  and  councils,  was  the  only  answer  to 
his  inquiry.  To  this  Zwingle  replied.  "  The 
popes,"  he  said,  "  could  not  be  infallible,  inas- 
much as  the  characters  of  many  of  them  were 
deplorably  bad  ;  and  it  was  evidently  absurd  to 
suppose  those  men  to  be  the  only  true  represen- 
tatives of  Christ,  who  had  lived  in  open  viola- 
tion of  his  plainest  commandments.  Neither 
were  councils  to  be  implicitly  depended  upon. 
They  were  composed  of  erring  mortals,  and, 
moreover,  had  frequently  contradicted  each  other 
in  their  decisions.  The  Gospel  was  to  be  the 
only  rule  of  faith,  and  that  nowhere  taught  the 
invocation  of  Saints  or  of  the  Virgin."  These 
remarks  gave  rise  to  a  sharp  contest.  Both 
sides  obstinately  adhered  to  their  own  views  ; 
until  at  length  the  defenders  of  popery  remain- 
ed silent  and  refused  to  continue  the  debate. 
The  meeting  was  then  dissolved.  The  Coun- 

a 

cil  remained  in  session  and  gave  the  victory  to 
the  Reformers.  They  ordered,  "  That  Zwingle, 
having  been  neither  convicted  of  heresy  nor 
refuted,  should  continue  to  preach  as  he  had 
done  before  :  that  the  pastors  of  the  Canton 
should  rest  their  discourses  on  the  words  of 
Scripture  alone  ;  and  that  both  parties  should 
abstain  from  all  personal  reflections."  This 
result  was  highly  satisfactory  to  Zwingle :  he 
6* 


66  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

no  longer  stood  alone,  but  was  supported  by 
the  government.  His  followers  were  multiplied 
and  encouraged.  Still,  he  was  not  in  haste  to 
introduce  many  great  changes.  The  services 
of  the  church  continued  to  be  performed  much 
in  the  usual  manner,  and  he  and  his  colleagues 
contented  themselves  for  the  present  with 
endeavours,  peaceably  and  gradually  to  enlight- 
en the  minds  of  their  hearers. 


7.WINGLE.  67 


CHAPTER    VI. 

SECOND  CONFERENCE  AT  ZURICH  —  PERSECUTION  — 
EXECUTION  OP  HOTTINGER,  OF  W1RTH  AND  HIS 
SONS— PROGRESS  OF  THE  REFORMATION  IN  SWIT- 
ZERLAND. 1523  - 1527. 

THE  prudent  conduct  of  Zwingle  did  not 
satisfy  some  of  his  more  zealous  followers. 
They  were  not  pleased  with  the  temporary  reten- 
tion of  images  in  the  places  of  worship ;  and 
some  of  the  lower  class,  led  on  by  one  Hottin- 
ger,  a  mechanic,  tore  down  the  crucifix  erected 
near  the  gate  of  the  city.  This  act  was  a 
breach  of  the  peace,  and  the  perpetrators  of  it 
were  immediately  arrested.  When  the  magis- 
trates came  together  for  their  trial,  they  were 
divided  in  opinion  ;  some  looked  upon  the  deed 
only  as  an  exhibition  of  rash  zeal,  while  others 
were  disposed  to  regard  it  as  a  criminal  offence. 
Zwingle's  advice  being  asked,  he  thought  that 
the  prisoners  were  not  guilty  of  sacrilege,  be- 
cause the  law  of  Moses  forbade  the  erection  of 
images  as  objects  of  worship,  yet  they  deserved, 
he  said,  some  punishment  for  acting  without 
authority.  This  opinion  increased  the  embar- 
rassment of  the  Council.  They  did  not  wish  to 
add  to  the  resentment,  already  strong,  of  the 


68  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

other  Cantons,  and  they  were  equally  unwilling 
to  retreat  from  the  position  they  had  taken  in 
favor  of  the  Zwinglians.  To  extricate  them- 
selves from  this  difficulty  they  appointed  a  time 
for  another  conference,  "for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
cussing the  question,  whether  the  worship  of 
images  was  authorized  by  the  Gospel,  and 
whether  mass  ought  to  be  preserved  or  abol- 
ished." 

Many  persons  took  advantage  of  the  delay 
occasioned  by  this  determination,  and  petitioned 
for  the  release  of  the  prisoners,  on  the  ground 
that  they  had  been  already  sufficiently  punished 
by  their  confinement.  They  obtained  the  release 
of  all  except  the  leader :  he  was  banished  for 
two  years  from  the  Canton.  This  sentence  was 
light;  but  it  led  to  the  death  of  Hottinger, 
and  placed  him  first  on  the  list  of  Protestant 
martyrs  in  Switzerland.  He  retired  to  Baden 
and  lived  there,  neither  concealing  nor  making 
a  display  of  his  religious  views.  But  he  was 
soon  denounced  and  taken  into  custody.  When 
questioned,  he  avowed  his  conviction  that  the 
worship  of  images  was  contrary  to  the  word  of 
God.  He  was  removed  to  Lucern,  and  there 
condemned  to  death  by  a  convention  of  dep- 
uties from  only  seven  of  the  thirteen  Cantons. 
He  behaved  with  great  firmness  ;  he  conjured 
the  deputies  to  remain  friends  with  the  Zurichers, 


ZWINGLE.  69 

and  not  to  oppose  that  reform  for  which  he  was 
about  to  die  with  joy  ;  he  implored  the  mercy  of 
Heaven  upon  his  judges,  asked  the  forgiveness  of 
any  whom  he  might  have  injured,  and  then 
calmly  submitted  to  the  fatal  blow.  This  arbi- 
trary act  was  deeply  felt  by  the  Reformers,  who 
considered  it  an  unlawful  condemnation  of  their 
opinions. 

The  second  conference  took  place  in  October, 
1523.  Nine  hundred  persons  were  present;  and 
Zwingle  triumphed  in  this,  as  in  the  former 
discussion.  Active  measures  were  not  at  once 
adopted  to  put  down  the  worship  of  images; 
but  at  the  end  of  a  year,  as  the  arguments 
of  Zwingle  had  not  been  refuted,  the  Council 
proceeded  to  remove  the  pictures  and  statues  from 
the  churches.  Their  example  was  followed  in 
the  neighbouring  villages :  and  thus  another 
decided  stand  was  taken  against  popery  in  this 
part  of  Switzerland. 

This  innovation  met  with  much  opposition 
from  the  other  Cantons,  and  civil  war  threatened 
the  country,  and  the  Reformers  were  obliged 
to  be  constantly  on  their  guard.  An  event 
which  occurred  about  this  time  may  be  related, 
to  give  an  idea  of  the  distracted  state  of  the 
Confederacy.  The  village  of  Stammheim  was 
dependent  upon  Zurich  in  all  respects,  except  its 
criminal  jurisdiction,  which  belonged  to  the 


70  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

bailiff  of  Thurgau.  In  this  place  there  was  a 
chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Anne,  in  much  repute 
among  pilgrims,  who  bestowed  upon  it  many  rich 
gifts.  Notwithstanding  the  pecuniary  benefits 
which  the  sacred  edifice  had  brought  them,  the 
inhabitants  were  persuaded  by  Wirth  their  magis- 
trate and  his  two  sons,  who  were  priests,  to  de- 
stroy the  pictures  it  contained.  Those  who 
were  averse  to  this  measure  complained  to  Am- 
berg  the  bailiff  of  Thurgau.  This  officer  was 
already  the  enemy  of  Wirth,  and  eagerly  embraced 
the  opportunity  to  do  him  harm.  Wirth,  aware 
of  his  danger,  engaged  several  of  the  neighbour- 
ing towns  to  promise  mutual  aid,  in  case  any 
thing  occurred  to  threaten  their  safety.  Amberg 
commenced  his  work  of  revenge  by  seizing  at 
midnight  the  pastor  of  Stein.  As  soon  as  this 
fact  was  known,  the  allied  villages  assembled 
their  men,  and  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  soldiers 
who  had  arrested  the  clergyman.  Their  march 
was  obstructed  by  a  small  river,  and  while  seek- 
ing a  ford,  they  learned  that  the  enemy  were 
preparing  to  resist  their  passage.  To  avoid 
bloodshed,  they  commenced  a  parley  and  de- 
manded the  release  of  the  pastor,  engaging  for 
his  appearance  when  summoned  before  a  proper 
tribunal.  While  the  negotiation  was  going  on, 
the  people  of  Stein  and  Stammheim  retired  to  a 
monastery  near  by.  The  monks  received  them 


ZWINGLE.  71 

with  hospitality,  and  they  remained  there  peace- 
ably until  the  next  night,  when,  learning  that 
the  prisoner  would  not  be  set  at  liberty,  they 
began  to  be  turbulent.  Wirth  endeavoured  in 
vain  to  quell  the  disturbance.  At  this  moment 
the  inhabitants  of  Stammheim  received  and 
obeyed  orders  to  return  home ;  but  the  villagers 
who  remained  plundered  and  set  fire  to  the  mon- 
astery. 

A  report  of  this  outrage  was  made  to  his  gov- 
ernment by  Amberg,  who  took  care  to  lay  the 
whole  blame  upon  Wirth  and  his  sons.  A  Diet 
was  called  to  see  what  should  be  done.  They 
seemed  at  first  disposed  to  confound  the  inno- 
c%nt  with  the  guilty,  and  to  chastise  without  dis- 
crimination the  citizens  of  the  offending  towns ; 
but  the  deputies  from  Zurich  persuaded  them  to 
take  a  more  equitable  course.  They  sent  a 
party  of  soldiers  to  seize  the  principal  persons 
accused  of  taking  a  part  in  the  violence.  Many 
of  these  escaped  ;  but  Wirth  and  his  sons  refused 
to  fly.  "  You  need  no  force,"  said  the  former  ; 
"  had  a  child  brought  us  an  order  from  our  sove- 
reign, we  should  have  obeyed  it  without  resist- 
ance." 

The  prisoners  were  brought  to  Zurich.  On 
examination  they  confessed  that  they  had  joined 
the  crowd  and  followed  them  to  the  monastery  ; 
but  they  averred  that  they  made  every  effort  to 


72  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

prevent  the  destruction  of  the  building.  Their 
defence  was  of  no  avail ;  the  Cantons  required 
them  to  be  given  up  to  the  Diet.  The  Council 
answered  that  the  case  belonged  to  their  juris- 
diction. The  Cantons  replied,  that  if  their 
demand  was  not  complied  with,  they  would  carry 
off  the  offenders  by  force  of  arms.  To  this  threat 
of  civil  war,  the  Council,  in  opposition  to  the  ear- 
nest remonstrance  of  Zwingle,  were  unjust  and 
pusillanimous  enough  to  yield.  The  prisoners 
were  removed  to  Baden.  Torture  was  applied 
to  force  from  them  some  confession  which  might 
serve  to  give  at  least  an  appearance  of  justice  to 
their  condemnation.  They  bore  their  sufferings 
with  admirable  fortitude;  but  neither  the  noble 
bearing  of  the  bailiff  and  his  sons,  nor  the  tears 
of  the  wife  and  mother,  could  soften  the  hearts  of 
the  judges.  The  father  and  the  elder  son  were 
sentenced  to  death  ;  the  former  for  treason,  and 
the  latter  for  "  having  preached  up  the  Lutheran 
and  Zwinglian  sect."  The  victims  met  their 
fate  with  Christian  firmness.  The  younger  son 
was  pardoned  and  escaped  to  Zurich.  In  such 
cases,  the  sentence  usually  involved  the  confis- 
cation of  the  property  of  the  condemned ;  but  in 
this  instance,  that  part  of  the  punishment  was 
remitted,  through  the  intercession  of  three  Can- 
tons who  had  thus  far  refused  to  act  in  the  mat- 
ter, on  the  cruel  condition  that  the  widow  should 


ZWINGLE.  73 

pay  ten  crowns  to  the  executioner  of  her  husband 
and  child. 

This  tragical  affair  shows  the  degree  of  the 
enmity  which  existed  to  Zwingle  and  the  reform- 
ers. They  were  not,  however,  to  be  intimidated 
or  silenced.  The  civil  authorities  continued  to 
introduce  many  changes,  and  in  1525  the  cele- 
bration of  mass  was  formally  abolished,  and  the 
Lord's  Supper  commemorated  in  the  simple 
manner  now  practised  by  Protestants.  The 
Chapter  of  the  cathedral  placed  their  revenues 
at  the  disposal  of  the  government;  and  their 
example  was  followed  by  a  convent  of  nuns  in 
the  vicinity.  Plans  for  public  instruction  were 
formed,  and  an  academy  to  prepare  young  men 
for  the  ministry  was  established.  Zwingle  was 
the  agent  who  superintended  the  execution  of 
these  changes,  and  he  performed  the  work  with 
fidelity  and  prudence. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  papal  party  contrived  a 
plot,  by  which  they  hoped  to  get  Zwingle  into 
their  power,  and  to  crush  the  growing  heresy. 
A  conference  was  appointed,  to  which  the  Swiss 
Reformer  was  invited  to  discuss  the  points  at 
issue  between  the  Romanists  and  the  Reformers, 
with  Eccius,  the  antagonist  of  Luther.  But  so 
evident  was  the  inimical  purpose  of  those  engaged 
in  bringing  about  this  meeting,  that  the  Council 
of  Zurich  refused  to  permit  their  preacher  to 
7 


74  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

leave  the  city.  His  cause  was  defended  in  the 
debate,  which  took  place  at  Baden,  by  several 
learned  divines ;  but  his  absence  defeated  the 
object  of  the  papists,  and  they  contented  them- 
selves, for  the  present,  with  the  passage  of  a  sen- 
tence of  excommunication  against  him  and  his 
followers,  and  the  prohibition  of  the  sale  of  heret- 
ical books,  or  the  introduction  of  any  change  in 
forms  of  worship. 

About  this  time,  the  Reformation  was  greatly 
assisted  by  a  revolution  which  took  place  in 
Berne,  one  of  the  most  important  members  of  the 
Helvetic  confederacy.  At  the  close  of  the  year 
1527,  several  of  the  towns  belonging  to  that 
Canton  petitioned  the  government  for  leave  to 
introduce  the  worship  practised  at  Zurich.  This 
request  found  both  friends  and  foes  in  the  Sen- 
ate ;  and  on  that  account  a  convention  of  the 
clergy  was  summoned  to  deliberate  upon  it.  Great 
numbers  from  all  parts  of  Switzerland,  together 
with  some  foreign  divines,  attended  this  meeting. 
Zwingle,  in  compliance  with  the  earnest  en- 
treaty of  his  friend  Haller,  a  pastor  of  Berne,  and 
his  own  desire  to  embrace  an  occasion  so  fa- 
vorable for  the  promulgation  of  his  opinions,  was 
present,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  debate. 
The  result  of  the  convention  was  a  new  victory 
for  the  Reformers.  Berne  threw  off  the  control 
of  her  bishop,  and  directed  her  preachers  to  teach 


ZWINGLE.  75 

only  what  the  majority  of  the  assembly  had  ap- 
proved. Priests  were  permited  to  marry ;  nuns 
to  leave  their  convents  and  return  to  the  world ; 
and  the  funds  of  the  monasteries  were  intrusted 
to  the  civil  magistrates.  In  the  short  space  of 
four  months  the  capital  and  all  its  dependencies 
adopted  the  new  religion.  • 

One  incident  may  be  mentioned  here,  to  show 
how  much  the  eloquence  and  learning  of  Zwin- 
gle  contributed  to  effect  this  revolution.  During 
the  sittings  of  the  Convention,  the  clergymen 
present  preached  in  turn  in  the  cathedral  of  the 
city.  On  one  occasion  Zwingle  ascended  the 
pulpit,  just  as  a  priest  was  preparing  to  say  mass, 
at  one  of  the  altars  of  the  church.  His  desire  to 
hear  the  celebrated  heretic  caused  him  to  sus- 
pend his  employment.  Zwingle,  in  his  sermon, 
stated  and  defended  his  own  views  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  with  such  clearness  and  power  that  the 
priest  was  converted  on  the  spot,  and  in  the 
sight  of  the  whole  congregation  laid  aside  his 
robes  and  joined  the  Reformers, 


76  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  REFORMATION  IN  SWITZERLAND 
—  CIVIL  COMMOTIONS  — DEATH  OF  ZWINGLE.  1527- 
1531. 

THE  introduction  of  the  new  doctrine  into 
Berne  was  the  occasion  of  much  discussion  among 
the  members  of  the  confederacy.  Five  of  the 
Cantons,  who  remained  attached  to  the  Romish 
Church,  formed  a  coalition  and  bound  themselves 
to  prohibit  within  their  limits  the  preaching  of 
the  opinions  of  Luther  and  Zwingle.  This 
league  produced  an  antagonist  alliance  on  the 
part  of  Zurich  and  Berne,  who  agreed  to  assist 
each  other  against  all  who  should  attempt  to  re- 
store the  errors  of  popery.  Hostile  measures 
like  these  were  the  commencement  of  sanguinary 
conflicts  between  States  hitherto  closely  united. 
The  papal  and  reform  parties  were  arrayed  in 
opposition  to  each  other  throughout  the  country, 
and  the  minds  of  both  were  evidently  inflamed. 
The  storm  at  length  burst  forth.  The  inhabitants 
of  a  valley  called  Hasli,  subject  to  the  authority 
of  Berne,  refused  to  obey  the  late  decree  of  the 
Senate,  and  were  supported  in  this  refusal  by  the 
citizens  of  the  bordering  Canton  of  Unterwalden. 
At  the  appearance  of  the  troops  sent  to  enforce 


ZW1NGLE.  77 

the  order  of  the  government,  the  people  of  Unter- 
walden  returned  home  ;  but  their  retreat  did  not 
prevent  difficulty.  The  Senate  of  Berne  com- 
plained, without  receiving  any  satisfaction,  of 
the  assistance  which  had  been  rendered  to  their 
rebellious  subjects.  This,  combined  with  other 
causes,  led  to  a  declaration  of  war  between  the 
five  Cantons,  and  Zurich  and  Berne.  The  neutral 
Cantons  were  able  to  prevent  a  battle,  and  owing 
to  their  friendly  exertions  a  treaty  of  peace  was 
ratified  at  the  village  of  Cappel,  June  25th,  1529. 

This  truce  put  an  end  for  the  time  to  open 
war ;  but  it  did  little  to  reconcile  the  hostile  par- 
ties. The  Catholics  submitted  to  it  as  a  matter 
of  necessity  ;  and  therefore  took  every  occasion 
to  show  their  discontent.  Event  after  event 
occurred  to  widen  the  breach  already  opened  be- 
tween the  different  members  of  the  confederacy  ; 
until  an  appeal  to  arms  seemed  to  be  the  only 
alternative.  The  history  of  this  period  is  dark 
and  gloomy.  Our  limits  allow  us  to  give  only 
an  outline  of  that  part  of  it  which  records  the 
closing  scenes  of  the  life  of  Zwingle. 

The  persecution,  in  Catholic  districts,  of  those 
who  held  the  new  opinions  grew  at  last  to  be  so 
aggravated  and  frequent,  that  the  government 
favorable  to  the  reform  determined  if  possible  to 
put  an  end  to  it.  A, most  unfortunate  plan  was 
adopted  for  this  purpose.  The  five  Cantons  had 
7* 


78  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

no  resources  but  their  flocks,  and  were  dependent 
upon  Zurich  and  Berne  for  a  market.  To  bring 
them  to  terms  a  proclamation  was  issued,  forbid- 
ding their  intercourse  with  those  cities,  that  thus 
their  supply  of  provisions  might  be  cutoff,  and  their 
territories,  as  it  were,  placed  in  a  state  of  block- 
ade. This  measure  was  opposed  as  cruel  by  the 
Ztrrichers ;  but  their  objections  were  overruled 
by  the  advocates  of  the  scheme  who  entertained 
sanguine  hopes  of  its  success.  Their  restless 
neighbours  would,  they  thought,  be  convinced  of 
the  value  of  toleration  and  forbearance,  when 
they  were  made  to  feel  their  dependence  upon 
the  other  Cantons.  But  the  erroneousness  of 
this  expectation  was  soon  manifest.  The  Catho- 
lics were  made  desperate  by  this  severe  treat- 
ment, and  flew  at  once  to  arms.  The  Protestants, 
being  wholly  unprepared  for  such  resistance, 
were  thrown  into  great  confusion.  Instead  of 
adopting  prompt  measures  to  meet  the  exigency, 
they  wasted  time  in  mutual  reproach  and  recrim- 
ination. The  adversaries  of  Zwingle,  those 
immoral  and  ambitious  persons  whom  he  had  so 
boldly  censured,  seized  upon  this  occasion  to 
take  their  revenge,  by  declaring  that  his  unwise 
zeal  in  defence  of  the  persecuted  was  the  cause 
of  all  the  evils  which  the  nation  suffered. 

Zwingle  saw  through  the  designs  of  his  ene- 
mies, notwithstanding  their  hypocrisy  and  cau- 


ZWINGLE.  79 

tion.  His  usefulness,  he  feared,  was  at  an  end, 
and  he  resolved  to  leave  a  place  where  he  could 
no  longer  do  good.  In  the  month  of  July  he 
appeared  before  the  Council,  to  vindicate  his 
character  and  ask  for  his  dismission.  The 
Council  would  not  listen  to  his  request;  but 
urged  him  most  earnestly,  for  the  sake  of  the 
cause  he  had  so  long  and  so  well  sustained,  to 
remain  where  he  was.  To  tliis  exhortation  he 
at  length  yielded  and  resumed  his  duties.  He 
labored  constantly  to  reconcile  the  contending 
parties,  as  far  as  it  could  be  done  without  the  sac- 
rifice of  truth.  He  knew  that  a  dangerous  crisis 
was  at  hand,  and  with  noble  disinterestedness 
he  devoted  all  his  energies  to  the  good  of  his 
country. 

The  efforts  of  the  neutral  Cantons  to  preserve 
peace,  were  without  effect.  The  five  Catholic 
Cantons,  having  finished  their  preparations  for 
war,  took  the  field  October  6th,  1531.  Their 
main  body  was  stationed  at  the  town  of  Cappel. 
When  the  news  of  this  movement  reached  Zu- 
rich, the  Council  was  at  loss  what  course  to 
pursue.  It  was  at  last  determined  to  dispatch 
against  the  enemy  four  thousand  troops ;  who 
were,  however,  by  no  means  in  readiness  for 
actual  service.  Zwingle  was  ordered  to  accom- 
pany this  expedition.  Entirely  in  doubt  as  to  the 
result  of  the  contest,  he  hastened  to  obey  the 


80  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

command.  "  Our  cause  is  good,"  said  he, 
*'  but  it  is  ill-defended.  It  will  cost  my  life  and 
that  of  many  excellent  men.  My  confidence 
rests  on  God  alone." 

As  the  Zurichers  approached  Cappel  the  sound 
of  cannon  announced  that  an  engagement  had 
commenced.  The  officers  pressed  on  with  all 
speed  and  the  soldiers  followed  as  rapidly  as  they 
were  able.  Just  as  they  joined  their  allies,  an 
officer  of  the  opposite  party  led  out  a  party  of 
three  hundred  men  to  reconnoitre.  Seeing  the 
weakness  of  the  reinforcement,  he  immediately 
attacked  them.  The  battle  now  became  general. 
The  Reformers  were  completely  routed,  and 
Zwingle  was  among  the  slain.  The  circum- 
stances of  his  death  are  thus  given  by  his  biog- 
rapher. 

"  In  the  beginning  of  the  battle,  while  Zwin- 
gle was  encouraging  the  troops,  he  received  a 
mortal  wound  and  remained  senseless  on  the 
field,  while  the  enemy  were  pursuing  their  victory. 
On  recovering  his  consciousness,  he  raised  him- 
self with  difficulty,  crossed  his  hands  upon  his 
breast,  and  lifted  his  dying  eyes  to  heaven. 
Some  Catholic  soldiers  who  remained  behind, 
found  him  in  this  attitude.  Without  knowing 
him,  they  offered  him  a  confessor:  Zwingle 
would  have  replied,  but  was  unable  to  articulate ; 
he  refused  by  a  motion  of  his  head.  The  soldiers 


_  i 

ZWIKOliL^  !L  -v^r       81 

'' 

then  exhorted  him  to  recommend  his  soul  to  the 
Holy  Virgin.  A  second  sign  of  refusal  enraged 
them.  '  Die  then,  obstinate  heretic !  '  cried  one, 
and  pierced  him  with  his  sword." 

"  It  was  not  till  the  next  day  that  the  body  of 
the  Reformer  was  found,  and  exposed  to  the  view 
of  the  army.  A  former  colleague  of  Zwingle's, 
who  had  left  Zurich  on  account  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, was  among  the  crowd.  He  gazed  a  long 
time  upon  him  who  had  been  his  adversary,  and 
at  length  said  with  emotion,  '  Whatever  may 
have  been  thy  faith,  I  am  sure  that  thou  wast 
always  sincere,  and  that  thou  lovedst  thy  country. 
May  God  take  thy  soul  in  mercy !' 

"  The  soldiers  did  not  share  in  this  generous 
sentiment.  Ignorant  and  bigoted,  they  rejoiced 
in  the  death  of  a  man  whom  they  hated  as  an 
enemy  to  their  faith.  They  surrounded  the 
bloody  corpse  in  the  most  tumultuous  manner. 
A  cry  was  raised,  '  Let  us  burn  the  heretic.'  All 
applauded  the  proposal :  in  vain  did  their  leaders 
remind  the  furious  soldiery  of  the  respect  due  to 
the  dead ;  in  vain  did  they  exhort  them  not  to 
irritate  the  Protestants,  who  might  one  day 
avenge  the  insult :  all  was  useless.  They  seized 
the  body ;  a  tribunal  named  by  acclamation, 
ordered  that  it  should  be  burned,  and  the  ashes 
be  scattered  to  the  winds ;  and  the  sentence  was 
executed  the  same  instant." 


82  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Thus,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  did 
Ulrich  Zwingle  finish  his  course.  His  death  was 
a  source  of  triumph  to  the  Catholics  and  a  ter- 
rible blow  to  the  Reformers.  For  a  while  after 
the  loss  of  their  great  leader  the  Protestants  were 
weak  and  discouraged.  But  truth  had  struck  its 
roots  too  deep  into  the  soil  of  Switzerland  to  be 
easily  eradicated.  The  people  had  come  to  the 
light.  The  new  doctrines  had  spread  in  every 
direction.  A  taste  for  liberty  had  been  excited. 
And  although  the  Reformation  struggled  in  after 
times  with  many  obstacles  and  experienced  many 
vicissitudes,  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  by  the 
exertion  of  Zwingle  and  his  friends,  the  power 
of  the  Romish  Church  was  shaken  and  perma- 
nently weakened, 


LUTHER.  83 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

LUTHER'S  RETURN  TO  WITTEMBERG  —  PROGRESS  OF 
THE  REFORMATION  IN  GERMANY  — DIETS  OF  NUREM- 
BERG—CONTROVERSY CONCERNING  THE  LORD'S 
SUPPER  — WAR  OF  THE  PEASANTS  — LUTHER'S  MAR- 
RIAGE—LUTHER'S LETTERS.  152^1524. 

WE  return  again  to  Germany.  Extensive  rev- 
olutions of  all  kinds  are  attended  by  evils.  Over- 
zealous  and  ardent  men  spring  up  in  times  of 
excitement,  who  are  anxious  to  push  matters  to 
extremes,  and  who  cannot  easily  be  kept  within 
the  bounds  of  prudence  and  moderation.  Among 
the  Reformers  were  some  characters  of  this  de- 
scription, whose  extravagances  and  want  of  judg- 
ment were  an  injury  to  the  cause  they  espoused. 
To  this  class  belonged  Carolstadt,  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors in  the  University  at  Wittemberg,  who,  not 
content  with  the  boldness  already  exhibited  by 
his  colleagues  in  their  attack  upon  popery,  took 
advantage  of  the  absence  of  Luther,  to  tear  down 
the  images  in  the  churches,  and  by  other  such 
actions  to  inflame  the  minds  of  the  students  and 
create  disturbance.  His  zeal  was  unfortunately 
seconded  by  some  fanatical  mechanics.  These 
men,  pretending  to  the  gift  of  immediate  and 
special  inspiration,  and  treating  all  learning  and 


84  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

study  with  contempt,  obtained  many  followers 
among  the  idle  and  ignorant,  while  their  wildness 
and  turbulence  gave  great  alarm  to  the  better 
informed. 

The  moment  Luther  heard  of  this  sad  affair, 
he  determined  to  quit  his  retirement,  and  resume 
his  place  in  the  city  as  a  public  teacher.  He 
left  Wartburg  early  in  March,  1522,  without  the 
knowledge  or  consent  of  the  Elector,  and  soon, 
by  his  preaching  and  decided  conduct,  put  an 
end  to  the  disorders  occasioned  by  Carolstadt  and 
his  party.  Having  accomplished  this  work  and 
restored  quiet,  he  devoted  himself  with  renewed 
diligence  to  his  great  undertaking,  and,  assisted 
by  Melancthon  and  others,  proceeded  rapidly 
with  his  translation  of  the  Bible.  This  noble 
publication,  which  was  issued  in  parts,  did  more, 
probably,  than  any  thing  else,  to  open  the  eyes  of 
the  common  people  in  Germany  to  the  errors  and 
corruptions  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

From  this  period  the  Reformation  was  constantly 
gaining  strength.  Several  important  cities  openly 
abandoned  the  old  forms  of  worship,  and  many  of 
the  princes  and  noblemen  began  to  waver  in  their 
attachment  to  papacy.  This  latter  fact  was  more 
and  more  evident  at  each  successive  Diet.  The 
desire  for  greater  political  freedom  was  combined 
with  the  desire  for  religious  liberty,  and  some  of 
the  most  important  members  of  the  Germanic 


LUTHER.  85 

Confederacy  showed  a  decided  opposition  to  the 
aggressions  and  exactions  of  Rome.  This  hostile 
feeling  was  very  apparent  soon  after  the  death  of 
Leo  X.  in  1522.  Adrian,  who  had  formerly 
been  a  tutor  to  the  Emperor,  was  unexpectedly 
raised  to  the  papal  thrdhe.  He  was  a  man  of 
honest  purposes  and  good  moral  character ;  but, 
although  not  blind  to  the  existing  abuses,  he  was 
bigoted  in  his  reverence  for  the  Church.  He 
was  willing  to  make  some  changes  in  the  papal 
system,  but  insisted  upon  the  extermination  of 
the  Lutheran  heresy.  Accordingly,  he  sent  a 
legate  to  the  Diet  then  convened  at  Nuremberg, 
to  complain  of  the  little  attention  which  had  been 
paid  to  the  Edict  of  Worms,  and  to  urge  the  exe- 
cution of  the  sentence  which  had  been  passed 
upon  Luther ;  while  at  the  same  time,  he  instruct- 
ed this  agent  to  consult  with  the  assembled  princes 
as  to  the  best  method  of  removing  the  evils  in  the 
Church.  The  latter  part  of  this  message  met 
with  a  very  frank  reception.  Germany,  the  Diet 
assured  the  legate,  had  already  suffered  too  much 
and  too  long  from  the  oppression  of  Rome ;  the 
call  for  relief  could  not  be  safely  neglected,  and 
they  recommended,  that  a  general  Council  should 
be  called  to  see  what  ought  to  be  done.  They 
likewise  drew  up  a  list  of  one  hundred  grievances, 
to  which  they  begged  him  to  ask  the  especial 
attention  of  his  Holiness.  The  only  notice  which 
8 


86  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

the  Diet  took  of  the  Reformers,  was  the  passage 
of  a  resolution  forbidding  any  further  innovations 
in  religion,  until  the  meeting  of  the  proposed 
Council. 

These  proceedings  were  hailed  with  much  joy 
by  the  Lutherans.  They  appealed  to  them  as 
altogether  favorable  to  their  cause,  and  looked 
upon  them  as  prophetic  of  its  final  triumph.  The 
correctness  of  this  opinion  was  confirmed,  by  the 
indignation  which  the  conduct  of  the  Diet  excited 
at  the  Court  of  Rome.  The  bad  management  of 
the  Pope  was  severely  censured;  his  policy  was 
ridiculed,  as  exactly  calculated  to  increase  the  pre- 
sumption of  his  enemies.  To  admit  the  existence 
of  any  abuse  in  the  Church,  to  listen  to  the 
recommendation  to  call  a  general  Council,  was, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Romish  ecclesiastics,  a 
direct  encouragement  of  heresy  and  a  disgrace  to 
the  Pontiff;  and  they  did  every  thing  in  their 
power  to  obstruct  all  Adrian's  efforts  for  a  reform. 
In  the  midst  of  these  difficulties  this  unfortunate 
Pope  died.  His  reign  had  been  so  unpopular 
and  his  death  was  an  event  so  pleasing  to  the 
Romans,  that  the  night  after  his  decease  they 
adorned  the  door  of  his  chief  physician  with  gar- 
lands, and  fastened  upon  it  this  inscription,  "To 
the  Deliverer  of  his  Country." 

Adrian  was  succeeded  in  November,  1523,  by 
Clement  VII.,  a  man  of  much  cunning  and 


LUTHER.  87 

wholly  devoted  to  ambitious  projects  for  the  exten- 
sion of  his  power.  The  year  following  his  elec- 
tion he  sent  a  legate  to  attend  a  second  Diet  at 
Nuremberg.  This  messenger  was  careful  to  omit 
all  mention  of  the  proposed  Council,  and  insisted 
upon  the  punishment  of  the  heretics.  His  de- 
mand was  supported  by  the  Emperor,  who  was 
anxious  at  this  time,  for  political  reasons,  to 
secure  the  favor  of  the  Pope.  But  the  Diet 
remained  firm,  and  adhered  to  their  petition  for  a 
general  Council  and  the  redress  of  their  griev- 
ances. The  most  that  could  be  obtained  from 
them  by  the  authority  of  their  sovereign  and  the 
arts  of  the  papal  agent,  was  a  promise  to  enforce 
the  edict  against  Luther,  as  far  as  they  could  ;  a 
promise  by  which  they  intended  to  allow  each 
individual  in  the  assembly  to  act  as  he  pleased. 
Charles  was  greatly  incensed  at  the  obstinacy 
of  the  German  princes ;  but  the  state  of  affairs  in 
other  parts  of  his  kingdom  required  his  attention, 
and  prevented  him  from  adopting  any  effectual 
measures  to  compel  their  obedience.  This  was  a 
fortunate  circumstance  for  the  enemies  of  popery ; 
for  in  a  very  few  years  the  Emperor  found  it 
necessary  to  alter  his  policy  and  to  oppose  the 
papal  power.  Before,  however,  we  give  an  account 
of  this  change,  we  must  notice  some  other  cir- 
cumstances and  events  not  so  favorable  to  the 
Reformation. 


88  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

One  of  these  was  the  controversy  which  early 
arose  among  the  Reformers  and  was  long  continu- 
ed, concerning  the  Lord's  Supper.  Luther  re- 
jected the  Romish  doctrine  of  transubstantiation, 
which  taught  that  the  bread  and  wine  are  actually 
changed  into  the  flesh  and  blood  of  Christ ;  but 
he  embraced  a  view  of  this  ordinance  hardly  less 
absurd.  He  believed  in  consubstantiation,  that 
is,  that  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Saviour  are  in 
some  mysterious  manner  connected  with  or  united 
to  the  bread  and  wine,  and  are  thus  eaten  and 
drunk  by  those  who  partake  of  these  elements. 
Carolstadt  was  the  first  who  opposed  this  notion. 
Soon  after  his  exile  from  Wittemberg,  on  account 
of  the  disturbances  related  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, he  published  a  treatise,  in  which  he  argued 
that  the  bread  and  wine  used  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Supper,  were  only  symbols  to  represent 
the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus.  This  opinion  was 
also  embraced  by  Zwingle  and  most  of  the  Swiss 
divines.  The  discussion  of  this  subject  was  warm 
and  sometimes  bitter,  and  in  the  end  produced 
unhappy  divisions  among  the  Reformers.  Various 
efforts  were  made  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation, 
but  any  thing  like  a  cordial  agreement  was  pre- 
vented by  the  arrogance,  obstinacy,  and  violence 
of  Luther. 

Another   unhappy    affair  occurred    about  this 
time,  which  affected  almost  all  Germany,  namely, 


LUTHER.  89 

the  War  of  the  Peasants,  as  it  is  called.  At 
first  this  was  wholly  a  political  commotion.  The 
lower  classes  of  the  people  were  much  oppressed 
by  the  nobility,  and  their  condition  was  but  little 
better  than  that  of  slaves.  On  the  imposition  of 
some  new  burthen,  their  rage  burst  forth  in  open 
rebellion.  The  insurrection  began  in  those  parts 
of  the  country  where  the  opinions  of  Luther  had 
made  but  small  progress :  but  at  length  it  reached 
Saxony  and  other  strong-holds  of  the  Reformers. 
There  the  disaffection  of  the  people  was  united 
with  religious  fanaticism,  and  some  countenance 
was  thus  given  to  the  accusation  of  those  who 
attributed  the  insubordination  and  violence  of  the 
rustics  to  the  propagation  of  the  new  doctrine. 
One  Muncer,  who  had  been  a  disciple  of  Luther, 
hurried  on  by  wild  zeal  and  a  restless  temper, 
obtained  great  influence  as  ^a  leader  of  the  rebels 
in  the  central  part  of  Germany.  The  number  of 
the  insurgents  increased  so  fast,  that  they  at  last 
ventured  to  take  the  field  and  risk  a  battle.  The 
princes,  who  united  to  oppose  them,  wished  if 
possible  to  avoid  shedding  the  blood  of  their 
deluded  subjects.  They  sent  a  young  nobleman 
to  the  camp  of  the  rebels,  to  offer  them  a  pardon, 
if  they  would  deliver  up  their  leaders  and  disperse 
to  their  homes.  ^The  peasants  seemed  disposed 
to  accept  the  terms,  and  Muncer  saw  that  he 
would  soon  be  deserted  by  his  followers  unless  he 
8* 


90  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

could  contrive  in  some  way  to  revive  their  fainting 
courage.  With  admirable  tact  he  took  advantage 
of  the  appearance  of  a  rainbow,  which  happened 
at  this  moment  to  be  thrown  across  the  clouds. 
He  raised  his  hands  and  pointing  to  the  beautiful 
arch,  cried  out,  "  Behold  the  sign  which  God  has 
given  !  There  is  a  pledge  of  your  safety,  and  a 
token  that  the  wicked  shall  be  destroyed."  The 
fickle  and  fanatical  multitude  were  caught  by  this 
manoeuvre,  and  passing  instantly  from  the  ex- 
treme of  fear  to  that  of  fury,  they  slew  the  messen- 
ger who  brought  the  offer  of  mercy  and  rushed 
on  to  attack  the  enemy.  The  princes  enraged  at 
the  murder  of  their  envoy,  immediately  charged 
the  undisciplined  rabble  and  routed  them  with 
great  slaughter.  Muncer  was  taken  prisoner  and 
executed;  and  the  revolt  was  crushed. 

It  is  said  that  more  than  fifty  thousand  lives 
were  lost  by  this  commotion,  in  Germany.  Dur- 
ing its  continuance,  Luther  labored  to  restore 
peace.  He  endeavoured,  on  the  one  hand,  to 
persuade  the  nobles  to  diminish  the  burthens  of 
their  subjects,  while,  on  the  other,  he  urged  upon 
the  peasants  the  duty  of  submission  and  obedi- 
ence to  their  superiors.  His  efforts  were  una- 
vailing, and  he  found  that  it  was  easier  to  excite 
than  to  curb  the  passions  of  the  multitude. 
They  had  been  too  much  accustomed  to  listen  to 
him  as  the  advocate  of  freedom,  to  regard  his 


LUTHER.  91 

voice  when  it  recommended  the  patient  endurance 
of  bondage.  They  felt  their  galling  yoke  and 
were  anxious  for  deliverance  from  its  pressure, 
but  were  too  ignorant  to  be  guided  by  the  coun- 
sels of  prudence. 

We  come  now  to  another  circumstance  of  some 
importance  in  the  history  of  the  Reformation, 
inasmuch  as  it  affects  the  character  of  its  fore- 
most champion ;  we  refer  to  the  marriage  of 
Luther.  While  at  Wartburg,  he  wrote  a  book 
against  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy  ;  and  in  a  year 
or  two  he  ventured  to  reduce  his  doctrine  to  prac- 
tice. He  threw  off  the  habit  of  a  monk,  and  was 
married  in  1524  to  Catherine  de  Bora,  a  lady 
much  younger  than  himself,  and  who  had  formerly 
been  a  nun.  This  step  was  blamed  as  ill-timed 
and  unwise  ^by  many  of  Luther's  friends.  The 
country  was  in  a  disturbed  state  owing  to  the 
commotion  among  the  peasantry  ;  the  enemies  of 
reform  seized  upon  every  thing  which  might 
throw  ridicule  upon  its  advocates;  and  the 
cause  must  suffer,  by  such  an  act  at  such  a  sea- 
son of  one  who  had* made  himself  so  conspicuous. 
The  papists,  as  was  to  have  been  expected,  took 
up  the  match  as  an  excellent  subject  for  their 
satire,  and  covered  the  parties  with  the  grossest 
abuse.  The  courageous  bridegroom  was  some- 
what disturbed  by  the  unpopularity  of  the  new 
connexion  he  had  formed ;  "  He  hoped,"  he  said, 


I 


92  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

r"  that  since  his  marriage  had  made  him  so  despi- 
cable, his  humiliation  would  rejoice  the  angels 
and  vex  the  devils." 

But  Luther's  mortification  soon  wore  off.  Cath- 
erine proved  to  be  a  good  and  dutiful  wife ;  an 
excellent  nurse  in  sickness,  and  a  valuable  help- 
mate at  all  other  times.  Her  husband  grew  daily 
more  attached  to  her.  He  showed  his  affection 
by  calling  his  favorite  work,  a  Commentary  on 
the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  his  Catherine  de 
Bora.  In  his  letters  to  his  friends  he  mentioned 
his  partner  in  terms  of  fondness  and  praise.  On 
one  occasion  he  says,  "  My  rib  Kate  salutes  you, 
and  thanks  you  for  the  favor  of  your  kind  letter. 
She  is  very  well  through  God's  mercy ;  and  is 
obedient  and  complying  with  me  in  all  things, 
and  more  agreeable,  I  thank  God,  than  I  could 
have  expected ;  so  that  I  would  not  change  my 
poverty  for  the  wealth  of  Croesus."  At  another 
time  he  declared  that  he  would  not  exchange  his 
wife  for  the  kingdom  of  France  ;  and  "  that  for 
three  reasons,  1.  because  she  was  given  him  at 
the  time  when  he  implored  the  assistance  of  God 
in  finding  a  good  wife  :  2.  because,  though  she 
was  not  faultless,  she  had  fewer  faults  than  any 
other  woman :  3.  because  she  had  been  very 
faithful  in  her  affection  to  him." 

Luther  lived  with  his  wife  twenty  years  and 
had  several  children,  all  of  whom  survived  him. 


LUTHER.  93 

It  may  interest  the  reader  and  serve  to  give  some 
further  idea  of  the  Reformer's  social  and  domestic 
character,  to  introduce  here  a  few  of  his  familiar 
letters.  The  first  we  select  was  written  to  some 
friends  on  his  proposed  marriage. 

"  To  the  worthy,  learned,  venerable,  and  judicious 
JOHN  RUSSELL,  JOHN  THUE,  LL.  D.,  &/c.  &>c. 
my_  dear  friends,  collectively  and  individually. 

"  Grace  and  peace  in  Christ.  What  an  outcry, 
dear  friends,  have  I  caused  with  the  little  book 
about  the  peasants  !  In  consequence  of  it,  every 
thing  is  forgotten  that  God  has  done  for  the  world 
through  me.  Now  lords,  priests,  and  peasants 
are  all  against  me,  and  threaten  me  with  death. 
Well  then,  if  they  are  mad  and  foolish,  I  will  also 
prepare  to  show  myself  before  I  die,  as  created 
and  guided  by  God,  and  retaining  nothing  of  my 
popish  life,  that  I  can  get  rid  of;  thus  making 
them  still  more  mad  and  foolish;  and  all  this  for 
a  leave-taking  and  adieu.  For  I  cannot  but  expect 
that  God,  by  his  grace,  will  assist  me  to  do  this. 

"  And  to  this  end,  in  conformity  to  the  wish  of 
my  dear  father,  I  am  about  to  be  married,  and 
that  this  may  not  be  hindered  by  the  machina- 
tions of  malicious  persons,  I  propose  to  execute  it 
speedily,  intending,  by  your  leave,  on  Friday 
week,  the  day  after  St.  John  the  Baptist's,  to 
have  a  little  merry-making  on  occasion  of  bring- 


94  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

ing  the  bride  home.  This  I  was  not  willing  to 
withhold  from  my  good  friends,  and  I  beg  your 
assistance  in  asking  a  blessing  for  us.  Now  as 
affairs  stand  at  present  in  the  country,  I  have  not 
ventured  to  solicit  your  company,  or  to  require 
your  attendance.  Yet,  if  with  your  own  good 
will,  you  can  or  will  come  to  us  with  my  dear 
father  and  mother,  you  may  easily  suppose  that  it 
will  afford  me  great  satisfaction,  and  whatever 
contributions,  from  good  friends,  you  can  bring 
with  you,  will  be  acceptable  to  my  poverty. 
Without  any  direct  request,  I  beg  you  will  thus 
understand  me,  and  return  an  answer  by  my  mes- 
senger. 

"  I  should  have  written  of  this  matter  likwise 
to  my  gracious  friends,  Counts  Gebhord  and 
Adelbrecht,  —  but  have  not  ventured  to,  because 
their  Graces  have  other  business  to  attend  to, 
than  what  concerns  me.  Should  it  be  necessary, 
however,  to  do  any  thing  about  it,  and  you  think 
it  advisable,  I  beg  you  would  declare  to  me  your 
opinion. 

"  Herewith,  I  commend 

you  to  God.     Amen. 

"  Wittemberg,  Anno  1525-" 

The  following  relates  to  the  same  subject  as 
the  preceding. 


LUTHER.  95 

"  To  JOHN  DOLZIG. 

"Grace,  &c.  &c.  Without  doubt  the  won- 
derful news  has  reached  you,  that  I  am  about  to 
become  a  husband;  although  this  seems  very 
strange  to  myself  and  I  can  hardly  believe  it, 
yet  the  evidences  of  it  are  so  strong  that  I  must 
in  honor  and  good  faith  give  credit  to  them,  and 
I  propose  on  Friday  next,  to  give  a  collation  to 
father  and  mother  and  other  good  friends,  that  I 
may  set  my  seal  to  them  and  make  them  certain. 
I  pray  you,  therefore,  if  it  will  not  be  burdensome 
to  you,  that  you  will  kindly  furnish  some  game 
for  the  occasion,  and  fail  not  to  come  yourself 
and  help  tie  the  knot,  with  joy,  and  all  suitable 
expressions. 

"  Herewith  I  commend  you  to  God. 
Amen.     1525.  M.  L." 

To  his  sister,  the  LADY  DOROTHY. 
"  Dear  Sister, 

"  I  find  by  the  letter  which  you  have  sent 
me,  that  your  deeply  moved  conscience  longs 
earnestly  for  evangelical  preaching,  and  that  you 
may  once  listen  to  it  in  your  churcli  at  Rossla ; 
this  news  has  rejoiced  me  much,  and  I  have  de- 
termined, God  willing,  to  be  with  you  on  the 
coming  Christmas  eve,  if  life  and  health  permit, 
that  I  may  begin  myself,  with  God's  help,  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  at  Rossla  and  Over 


96  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Rossla,  and  recommend  its  continuance.     Greet 
thy  husband  and  thy  little  daughter  Margaret,  to 
whom  I  will  bring  something  ;  and  God  bless  you. 
"  Elsleben,  2  December,  1539." 

Luther,  who  was  very  fond  of  his  children, 
seems  to  have  written  the  following  to  his  favorite 
little  boy,  as  an  allegorical  description  of  heaven. 

"  To  my  dear  little  son,  JOHN  LUTHER. 

"  Joy  be  with  you,  my  dear  little  son.  I  am 
glad  to  find  that  you  learn  your  lessons  well,  and 
are  careful  to  say  your  prayers.  Do  so  still,  my 
dear  boy,  and  fail  not ;  when  I  come  home  I  will 
bring  with  me  a  fine  toy  from  the  fair.  I  will 
tell  you  of  a  charming  pleasant  garden,  in  which 
there  are  a  great  many  children  ;  they  wear  little 
bright  looking  coats,  and  pick  up  under  the  trees 
beautiful  apples  and  pears,  cherries  and  plums  : 
they  sing,  dance,  and  frolic ;  they  have,  besides, 
beautiful  little  horses  with  gilded  bridles  and 
silver  saddles.  So  I  asked  the  man  who  owned 
the  garden,  what  children  these  were  ?  He  an- 
swered, they  are  children  who  love  to  pray  and 
to  study,  and  who  are  good  humored. 

"  Then  I  said,  Dear  sir,  I  have  a  son,  too, 
named  Johnny  Luther  ;  may  not  he  too  come 
into  the  garden,  that  he  may  eat  these  fine  apples 
and  pears,  ride  on  these  beautiful  horses,  and 


LUTHER.  97 

play  with  these  children  ?  And  the  man  answer- 
ed :  if  he  loves  to  say  his  prayers,  to  learn  his 
book,  and  is  kind  to  his  play-mates,  he  may  come 
into  the  garden,  and  Dicky  and  Bob  too ;  and  if 
they  all  come  together,  they  shall  have  fifes, 
trumpets,  lutes,  and  all  sorts  of  stringed  instru- 
ments :  they  shall  dance,  and  shoot  with  little 
bows  and  arrows. 

"  And  then  he  showed  me  a  fine  lawn  in  the 
midst  of  the  garden,  prepared  for  dancing,  where 
were  suspended  from  the  branches  of  the  trees 
golden  trumpets  and  fifes,  and  fine  silver  bows. 
But  it  was  yet  early,  so  that  the  children  had  not 
eaten  their  breakfast,  and  I  could  not  therefore 
wait  for  the  dancing,  and  said  to  the  man  j  ah, 
dear  sir,  I  will  go  directly  and  write  about  all 
this  to  my  little  John ;  so  that  he  may  be  attentive 
at  his  prayers,  learn  his  book  well,  and  be  good 
natured,  that  he  too  may  come  into  the  garden ;  but 
he  has  a  nurse,  Betty,  that  he  must  bring  with  him. 
Then  the  man  replied :  It  shall  be  as  you  say ; 
go  then  and  write  to  him. 

"Therefore,  dear  little  son  Jack,  study  and 
pray  diligently,  and  tell  Dicky  and  Bob  to  do  the 
same ;  so  that  you  may  all  come  together  to  the 
garden.  And  now  I  recommend  you  to  Almighty 
God ;  greetings  to  nurse  Betty,  and  give  her  a 
kiss  for  me.  From  your  dear  Father, 

"  MARTIN  LUTHER." 
9 


98  SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

Notwithstanding  its  length  we  cannot  forbear 
giving  almost  the  whole  of  an  excellent  letter 
written  by  Luther  to  his  father,  when  he  was 
sick.  It  is  full  of  filial  affection  and  elevated 
piety. 

"  Dear  Father, 

"  My  brother  James  has  written  to  tell  me 
that  you  are  dangerously  ill.  I  feel  anxious  for 
you,  in  consequence  of  the  unhealthy  air,  which 
prevails  every  where,  and  the  universal  sickness 
at  this  time.  For,  although  God  has  given  you  a 
firm,  strong  body,  and  so  far  continued  your 
strength,  yet  your  advanced  age  at  this  period 
gives  me  anxious  thoughts.  Although  we  are 
none  of  us  sure  of  our  lives  for  an  hour,  nor  can 
be,  yet  I  am  beyond  measure  desirous  to  come 
to  you  in  the  body;  but  my  good  friends  have 
persuaded  me  against  it,  and  I  cannot  but  think 
myself,  that  I  ought  not  to  tempt  Providence  by 
throwing  myself  into  danger ;  for  you  know  how 
much  favor  I  have  found  both  with  gentlemen  and 
peasants. 

"  But  it  would  be  a  great  joy  to  me  if  it  were 
possible  that  you  could  come  to  us,  with  mother. 
Catherine  also  desires  it  with  tears,  and  all  of  us. 
I  trust  we  could  take  excellent  care  of  you.  For 
this  reason,  I  have  got  Cyrus  ready  to  go  to  you, 
that  he  may  ascertain  if  it  is  possible,  on  account 


LUTHER.  99 

of  the  state  of  your  health.  And  although  I 
know  it  will  be  with  you  according  to  God's 
will,  whether  for  this  life  or  the  next ;  yet  I  long 
earnestly,  —  if  it  might  be  permitted,  —  to  have 
your  bodily  presence  with  me,  and  according  to 
the  fourth  commandment,  with  filial  love  and 
duty,  to  show  my  gratitude  to  God  and  to  your- 
self. 

"In  the  mean  time,  I  pray  to  God,  —  who 
created  and  appointed  you  to  be  my  father  on 
earth, — from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  that  he 
will  strengthen  you  by  his  exhaustless  goodness, 
and  enlighten  and  preserve  you  by  his  spirit,  that 
you  may  know  with  joy  and  thanksgiving  the 
blessed  Gospel  of  his  Son  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  to  which  you  have  already  come,  being 
called  by  his  grace  out  of  gross  darkness  and 
error ;  and  I  trust  that  his  grace  *  having  given 
you  this  knowledge,  and  his  word  having  begun 
in  you,  will  sustain  and  perfect  you  unto  the  end 
of  this  life,  and  the  joyful  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 

"  For  this  faith  and  doctrine  he  has  already 
sealed  unto  you,  and  confirmed  by  signs,  inas- 
much as  you  have  been  called  to  suffer  with  the 
rest  of  us  for  my  name's  sake,  much  evil  speaking, 
hatred,  contempt,  shame,  scorn,  enmity,  and  many 
dangers.  And  these  are  the  true  signs,  through 
which  we  become  like  unto  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 


100    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

as  St.  Paul  says,  Romans  vm,  that  we  may  also 
resemble  him  in  his  future  glory. 

"  Let  your  heart  then  be  comforted  and  lifted 
up  even  in  your  weakness ;  for  we  have  in  the 
other  world  with  God,  a  sure  and  faithful  helper, 
Jesus  Christ,  who,  for  us,  has  destroyed  both 
sin  and  death,  and  sits  in  heaven  now  to  inter- 
cede for  us,  and  with  angels,  looks  down  upon 
us,  waiting  till  we  shall  have  run  our  course  ; 
so  that  we  need  not  be  anxious  or  fearful  that  we 
should  sink  or  fall  to  the  ground.  He  has  too 
great  power  over  sin  and  death,  to  permit  that 
they  should  injure  us,  and  is  so  true  and  merciful 
that  he  neither  can  nor  will  deceive  us  ;  that  is, 
if  we  go  to  him  nothing  doubting. 

"  For  this  he  has  said,  promised  and  assured 
us ;  and  we  are  sure  that  he  cannot  deceive  us. 
"  Ask,"  says  he,  "  and  ye  shall  receive,  seek 
and  ye  shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened 
unto  you."  And,  "  all  who  call  upon  the]  name 
of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  And  the  whole 
Psalter  is  full  of  such  gracious  promises,  especially 
the  ninety-first  Psalm,  which  is  particularly  suited 
for  the  reading  of  all  sick  persons. 

"  These  things  I  have  written  unto  you,  being 
anxious  on  account  of  your  illness,  —  although 
we  know  not  when  the  hour  cometh,  —  that  I 
might  be  partaker  of  your  struggle,  your  com- 
fort, and  thanksgiving  unto  God  for  his  holy  word, 


LUTHER.  101 

which  he  has  richly,  powerfully,  and  graciously 
given  unto  us  in  this  life. 

"  But  if  it  should  be  the  divine  will,  that  you 
should  yet  longer  be  kept  from  that  better  state, 
that  you  should  still  see  and  hear  with  us  the 
sorrows  and  afflictions  of  this  sad  vale  of  tears,  or 
with  all  Christians  endure  and  conquer  them, 
he  will  give  you  grace  to  do  all  willingly  and 
obediently.  Yet  this  wretched  life  is  nothing 
else  than  a  vale  of  sorrows,  in  which  the  longer 
we  remain,  the  more  we  see  and  experience  of 
sin  and  iniquity,  misfortune  and  distress,  without 
cessation  or  diminution,  until  we  are  cut  down 
by  the  scythe  of  death  ;  then  must  it  all  cease, 
and  we  shall  sleep  quietly  in  the  peace  of  Christ, 
until  he  comes  and  awakes  us  again  with  joy. 
Amen." 

*         #         # 

"  Although  I  trust  that  your  pastors  and  minis- 
ters will  show  their  faithfulness  unto  you,  so  that 
you  do  not  require  my  words ;  yet  I  could  not  fail 
thus  to  make  up  for  my  absence  from  you,  which, 
God  knows,  makes  my  heart  sad. 

"My  Kate,  little  John,  Nelly,  nurse  Betty,  and 
the  whole  family  greet  you  heartily  and  pray 
earnestly  for  you.  Greet  my  dear  mother  and 
the  whole  household.  God's  power  and  grace 
be  and  abide  with  you  for  ever.  Amen. 

"  Witt ember g,  15th  February,  1530." 
9* 


102   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

We  add  one  more  epistle,  somewhat  humor- 
ous in  its  character,  and  intended  probably  as 
a  playful  satire  upon  the  contentions  and  divis- 
ions in  the  German  Diets. 

A  jesting  letter,  addressed  to  some  of  his  com- 
panions. 

"Grace  &c.  Dear  gentlemen  and  friends, 
—  I  have  received  all  your  letters  and  understand 
by  them,  how  things  are  going  on  with  you. 
That  you  may  know  in  return,  how  things  fare 
with  us,  I  have  thought  best  to  inform  you,  that 
we,  viz  :  myself,  masters  Victor  and  Cyrus,  are 
not  gone  to  the  Imperial  Diet  at  Augsburg  :  we 
are  come,  however,  to  another  diet. 

"  There  is  a  small  wood  just  before  our  win- 
dow, in  which  the  crows  and  the  rooks  have 
assembled  a  diet ;  there  is  such  a  journeying  to 
and  fro,  such  an  incessant  screaming  through  the 
night  and  day,  as  if  they  were  all  crazy  or 
bewitched ;  they  caw  all  together  young  and  old  : 
still  I  wonder  how  their  voice  and  breath  can 
hold  out  so  long.  And  I  would  gladly  know  if 
such  noblemen  and  knights-errant  are  to  be 
found  likewise  with  you  ;  for  methinks  all  that 
the  world  contains  must  be  gathered  together 
here. 

"  I  have  not  yet  seen  their  emperor ;  but  their 
nobles  and  great  personages  are  continually  hov- 


LUTHER.  103 

ering  and  flying  about  before  our  eyes,  not  very 
splendidly  attired,  but  simply  —  in  an  uniform 
color,  all  equally  black,  all  with  grey  eyes ;  they 
all  sing  the  same  song,  yet  with  a  pleasant  differ- 
ence betwen  young  and  old,  great  and  small. 
They  care  not  for  great  halls  and  palaces ;  for 
their  hall  is  roofed  by  the  beautiful  wide-spread- 
ing sky ;  its  floor  is  merely  turf,  its  tables  beau- 
tiful green  branches,  and  its  walls  extend  to  the 
extremity  of  the  earth.  Neither  do  they  ask  for 
horses  and  carriages;  they  have  winged  wheels 
with  which  they  fly  from  the  sportsman,  and 
withdraw  from  the  angry  passions  of  their  com- 
panions. 

"  They  are  great  and  powerful  lords ;  but  I 
do  not  yet  know  their  decrees.  Thus  much  I 
have  learned  from  an  interpreter,  that  they  are 
projecting  a  vigorous  attack  upon  wheat,  barley, 
oats,  rye,  and  all  sorts  of  corn  and  grain,  and  there 
are  many  knights  among  them  who  are  to  per- 
form great  actions. 

"  Thus,  you  see,  we  sit  here  in  the  \mdst  of 
the  Diet,  looking  and  listening  with  great  Delight 
and  affection  to  the  cheerful  singing  and  merry 
lives  of  the  princes,  nobles,  and  chief  men  of  the 
kingdom.  But  we  have  particular  pleasure  in 
seeing  them  sharpen  their  bills  and  put  on  their 
armor,  that  they  may  be  victorious  and  acquire 
honor  in  their  contests  with  corn  and  barley|. 


104    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

We  wish  them  safety  and  success,  and  trust,  that 
they  will  not  all  be  impaled  on  some  sharp  pointed 
hedge.  . 

"  I  think,  however,  that  the  crowd  which  are 
just  before  me  can  be  nothing  but  sophists  and 
Romanists  with  their  preachers  and  scribes,  who 
have  come  that  I  may  hear  their  harmonious 
voices  and  preaching,  and  see  what  useful  people 
they  are  to  destroy  every  thing  upon  the  earth,  and 
then  yawn  for  something  to  do. 

"  To-day  we  have  heard  the  first  nightingale  ; 
for  they  are  not  willing  to  trust  themselves  in 
April.  It  is  now  very  fine  weather  with  us  ;  it 
has  not  rained  at  all,  except  a  little  yesterday. 
Perhaps  it  is  otherwise  with  you.  God's  blessing 
be  with  you  and  support  your  house. 

"  From  the  Diet  of  Maltese  Knights,  28th 
April,  1530," 


DEATH    OF    FREDERIC.  105 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DEATH  OF  FREDERIC  OF   SAXONY  —  DIET  AT  SPIRES 

—  THE  PROTEST  — DISPUTE  AMONG  THE  REFORMERS 
CONCERNING   THE   LORD'S  SUPPER  —  SECOND   DIET 
AT  SPIRES  —  DIET   AND   CONFESSION  OF   AUGSBURG 

—  LEAGUE  OF  SMALCALD  —  PEACE  OF  NUREMBERG. 
1526-1532. 

FREDERIC,  Elector  of  Saxony,  died  in  1525,  soon 
after  the  defeat  of  the  peasants.  He  had  been  a 
cautious,  but  on  the  whole  a  firm  friend  of  Luther, 
and  his  loss  would  have  been  severely  felt,  had 
not  his  brother  and  successor  John  been  decidedly 
in  favor  of  the  reform,  and  a  man  of  bold  and 
independent  character.  Being  a  convert  to  the 
new  doctrines  and  believing  that  the  time  had 
come  when  a  choice  between  them  and  popery 
must  be  publicly  made,  this  prince  directed  Lu- 
ther and  Melancthon  to  form  a  set  of  rules  for 
the  government  of  the  churches  throughout  his 
dominions.  His  example  was  followed  by  other 
noblemen,  —  and  thus  a  new  impulse  and  greater 
dignity  was  given  to  the  Reformation.  Steps  so 
decided  aroused  the  bitter  and  active  opposition 
of  those  who  still  adhered  to  the  papal  see  ;  and 
had  it  not  been  .for  the  lukewarmness  of  the 
Emperor  and  the  distracted  state  of  the  empire, 


106        SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

an  immediate  collision  would  probably  have 
taken  place  between  the  Romanists  and  their 
adversaries. 

As  it  was,  however,  the  proceedings  of  the  next 
Diet,  which  assembled  at  Spires  in  1526,  were 
favorable  to  the  Reformers.  Charles  V.  had  been 
engaged  in  a  long  war  with  his  rival  the  king  of 
France,  in  which  the  latter  was  taken  prisoner 
and  released,  after  a  protracted  negotiation,  only 
on  condition  of  his  complying  with  the  terms  of  a 
hard  treaty.  This  he  promised  to  do.  But 
when  he  was  set  at  liberty,  he  obtained  absolu- 
tion from  his  oath  from  the  pope,  who  began  to 
fear  the  growing  power  of  the  German  Emperor, 
which  he  endeavoured  to  check  by  forming  an 
alliance  with  England  and  France.  Charles, 
greatly  exasperated  at  this  conduct,  immediately 
declared  war  against  the  pontiff;  one  of  his  gene- 
rals entered  the  holy  city  with  an  army,  and 
beseiged  Clement  in  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo, 
where  he  was  reduced  to  such  extremity  of  hun- 
ger as  to  feed  on  asses'  flesh,  and  obliged  at  last 
to  surrender,  on  such  conditions  as  his  con- 
querors chose  to  dictate.  He  agreed  to  pay  a 
large  sum  of  money,  to  give  up  his  fortresses,  and 
to  remain  a  prisoner  until  these  terms  were  ful- 
filled. It  was  during  this  rupture,  that  the  above 
mentioned  Diet  was  held.  The  Reformers  took 
advantage  of  the  state  of  affairs.  A  majority  of 


I>IET    AT    SPIRES.  107 

the  deputies  present  declared  it  to  be  impossible 
to  enforce  the  Edict  of  Worms,  and  voted  to  leave 
every  one  to  manage  the  religious  concerns  of 
his  own  territories  as  he  pleased,  until  the  con- 
vention of  a  general  Council. 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  Emperor  to  countenance 
this  decision  :  and  the  advocates  of  the  new 
doctrine,  finding  themselves  unmolested,  were 
greatly  encouraged.  Their  preachers  were  inde- 
fatigable, and  their  writings  were  extensively  cir- 
culated. Many,  who  had  hitherto  been  indifferent 
or  timid,  now  came  out  and  joined  their  ranks. 
And  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  empire  was  about 
to  break  away  from  the  dominion  of  the  Pope. 
But  this  prosperity  continued  only  for  a  short 
season.  Political  considerations  alone  dictated 
the  course  of  Charles  with  regard  to  the  different 
religious  parties.  He  favored  or  opposed  one  or 
.the  other  of  them  according  to  the  aid  they  might 
render  in  the  execution  of  his  ambitious  designs. 
He  soon  discovered  that  he  had  gone  too  far  in 
his  contest  with  the  Pope,  and  deemed  it  ne- 
cessary to  change  his  line  of  conduct.  Having 
in  some  measure  settled  the  disturbed  affairs  of 
his  kingdom,  and  having  liberated  and  formed  a 
league  with  Clement,  he  directed  his  brother 
Ferdinand,  who  acted  in  his  name,  to  support  the 
popish  party  in  the  second  Diet  of  Spires,  which 
was  held  in  the  spring  of  1529.  Thus  deserted 


108    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

and  opposed  by  the  Emperor,  the  Reformers  were 
discomfited.  The  decrees  of  the  former  Diet 
were  revoked,  and  any  change  in  the  forms  of 
worship  declared  unlawful  until  the  opinion  of 
the  proposed  general  Council  should  be  known. 

The  Elector  of  Saxony  and  his  followers  now 
found  themselves  in  a  desperate  condition.  Un- 
der existing  circumstances,  as  they  were  well 
aware,  it  was  vain  to  hope  for  the  assembly  of  an 
impartial  council  — even  if  the  promise  to  summon 
one  was  not  altogether  a  piece  of  deception,  — 
and  they  felt  the  necessity  of  making  every  ex- 
ertion in  defence  of  their  rights.  Accordingly 
the  Elector  John,  the  marquis  of  Brandenburg, 
the  landgrave  of  Hesse,  the  prince  of  A-nhalt, 
together  with  the  deputies  of  fourteen  free  cities, 
entered  their  solemn  PROTEST  against  the  decision 
of  the  Diet.  It  was  from  this  circumstance 
that  they  obtained  the  name  of  Protestants, 
which  has  since  been  extended  to  all  who  have 
separated  from  the  Church  of  Rome  or  denied  its 
infallibility.  In  addition  to  their  remonstrance, 
the  protestant  princes  sent  special  envoys  to  meet 
the  Emperor,  who  was  then  on  a  journey  from 
Spain  to  Italy.  These  noblemen  were  ungra- 
ciously received.  Offended  by  the  spirit  and 
firmness  with  which  they  discharged  their  office, 
the  arbitrary  monarch  ordered  them  to  be  im- 
prisoned for  several  days,  and  treated  their  com- 


DIET    AT    SPIRES.  109 

munications  with  contempt.  When  the  news  of 
the  treatment  experienced  by  their  ambassadors 
reached  the  Protestants,  they  saw  how  little  jus- 
tice was  to  be  expected  from  their  sovereign,  and 
also  the  necessity  of  a  closer  union  among  them- 
selves. They  therefore  held  several  meetings  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  a  league  for  their  mutual 
defence ;  but  so  great  was  the  diversity  of  senti- 
ment among  them,  that  they  came  to  no  definite 
agreement. 

The  chief  source  of  divison  was  the  old  con- 
troversy concerning  the  Lord's  Supper,  which 
prevented  a  cordial  sympathy  between  those  of 
the  same  mind  on  almost  every  other  point  of 
doctrine;  and  shows  how  slowly  men  learn  to 
tolerate  differences  in  opinion  even  about  matters 
of  small  importance.  The  very  persons,  who  for 
years  had  been  contending  side  by  side  for  relig- 
ious liberty,  began,  while  their  cause  was  yet  in 
great  jeopardy,  to  quarrel  among  themselves  con- 
cerning that  ordinance  which  was,  in  part,  in- 
tended to  be  significant  of  Christian  union. 

This  gross  inconsistency  was  felt  by  the  more 
prudent  of  their  number,  who  endeavoured  to 
settle  a  dispute  so  trivial  in  itself,  and  at  the  same 
time  so  dangerous  to  their  cause.  The  Land- 
grave of  Hesse,  in  particular,  was  extremely 
anxious  to  reconcile  the  followers  of  Luther  and 
Zwingle,  and  for  this  purpose  he  invited  them  to 
10 


110    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

hold  a  friendly  conference  at  Marpurg  in  1529 ; 
but  this  well-intended  measure  was  productive  of 
little  good.  Zwingle  and  his  friends  were,  indeed, 
"  easy  to  be  intreated  "  and  willing  to  unite  with 
their  German  brethren ;  but  Luther  met  all 
attempts  at  a  compromise  with  the  most  dogged 
obstinacy.  He  was  coarse  and  violent  in  his 
language,  and  treated  with  coldness  the  frank  and 
cordial  pastor  of  Zurich.  The  most  that  could 
be  extorted  from  him  was  a  promise,  —  which 
he  did  not  keep,  —  to  use  milder  language  in 
whatever  he  might  hereafter  publish  in  opposition 
to  the  Swiss  divines.  Before  they  left  Mar- 
purg, the  members  of  the  conference  drew  up  a 
paper  containing  the  doctrines  admitted  by  them 
all,  and  leaving  each  individual  to  exercise,  on  the 
subject  of  the  Supper,  as  much  charity  towards 
those  who  differed  from  him,  as  his  conscience 
would  permit. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  that  period,  when  the 
Reformation,  —  having  long  since  ceased  to  be  a 
mere  quarrel  between  monks  arid  theologians,  — 
became  an  affair  of  great  moment,  involving  the 
interests  of  the  whole  German  empire.  Princes 
and  States  were  arrayed  against  each  other,  and 
the  contest  assumed  a  political,  as  well  as  religious 
character.  On  the  one  side  were  the  Emperor, 
the  Pope,  and  those  petty  sovereigns  who  still 
adhered  to  the  Romish  faith;  on  the  other,  the 


DIET    AT    AUGSBURG.  Ill 

less  numerous  and  powerful,  but  no  less  deter- 
mined friends  of  the  new  religion.  The  struggle 
was  long  and  fearful,  and  the  Protestants  were 
obliged  to  put  forth  all  their  strength  and  contend 
with  determined  resolution,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
recognition  of  their  rights.  A  complete  history  of 
their  achievements  would  fill  a  volume  ;  we  can 
only  glance  at  the  moat  striking  and  important. 

Undismayed  at  the  rough  reception  of  their 
envoys,  the  protestant  princes  were  about  to  repeat 
their  application  to  the  Emperor  for  redress,  when 
they  received  intelligence  that  he  was  soon  to 
visit  Germany  in  person.  Charles  arrived  at 
Bologna  in  Italy,  November  1529,  and  spent  the 
winter  in  consultation  with  the  Pope  concern- 
ing the  steps  to  be  taken  to  subdue  the  enemies 
of  the  papal  system.  Clement  recommended  the 
immediate  adoption  of  severe  measures,  and  man- 
ifested great  repugnance  to  the  convention  of  a 
general  Council.  But  the  Emperor  was  not  pre- 
pared for  open  hostilities,  until  something  should 
be  done  to  examine  into  the  condition  of  the 
Church.  A  middle  course  was  finally  chosen  ; 
and  it  was  resolved  to  try  once  more  the  effect 
of  a  national  assembly.  Accordingly  a  new 
Diet,  was  summoned  to  meet  at  Augsburg  the 
ensuing  summer. 

The  Emperor,  on  his  journey  to   attend  this 
Diet,  had  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  temper  of 


112    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

his  subjects.     When  he  discovered  the   extent 
and  formidable  character  of  the  Protestant  party, 
and  the   degree  of  favor  with  which  they  were 
regarded  by  the  people,  he   was  more   anxious 
than    ever    to    avoid    an    appeal    to    arms.     He 
entered    Augsburg,  on   the   15th  of  June,  with 
great  pomp.      The   deputies  went   out  to  meet 
him.     The  Romanists  anticipated  from  his  pres- 
ence a  complete  triumph  over  their  opponents ; 
while  the  Protestants  could  not  but  rejoice  in  an 
opportunity    to   plead    their    cause    before   their 
sovereign  ;  both  parties  united  in  welcoming  the 
return  of  the  monarch,  after  so  long  an  absence. 
This  apparent  joy  lasted,  however,  but  for  a  few 
hours.     The  very  next  morning  an  occurrence 
took   place,    which    taught   the    Reformers   the 
vanity  of  their  reliance  upon  the  impartiality  of 
Charles.     It  happened  to  be  one  of  the  great 
festivals  of  the  Church ;  and  the  Emperor  called 
upon  the  Protestant  princes  to  join  the  proces- 
sion.    This  they  positively  refused  to  do;  and 
when  the  haughty  monarch  threatened  to  punish 
them    for   their    disobedience,    the    Marquis   of 
Brandenburg  replied,  "  Rather  would  I  instantly 
kneel  down  and  submit  my  neck  to  the  execu- 
tioner than  prove  unfaithful  to  God,  and  receive 
or    sanction    Anti-christian    error."     This    bold 
and  unexpected  language  showed  the  Emperor 
that  the  Reformers  were  not  to  be  trifled  with, 


DIET    AT    AUGSBURG.  113 

and  their  attendance  upon  the  celebration  was 
excused. 

The  session  of  the  Diet  commenced  on  the 
20th  of  June.     Two  important  subjects  came  up 
for  consideration,  viz.   a  war  to  be  undertaken 
against   the  Turks,  and   the    state   of  religion. 
The  latter  was  first  attended  to.     To  open  the 
way  for  its  discussion,  the  Protestants  had  pre- 
pared a  statement  of  their  opinions,  for  the  better 
information  of  the  deputies.     This  paper,  called 
the  Confession  of  Augsburg,  was  composed  by 
Melancthon,  who  was  selected  for  this  task  in 
preference  to  Luther,  because  the  warmth  and 
violence  of  the  latter  was  ill  suited  to  the  promo- 
tion of  that  peace  which  was  now  so  anxiously 
desired.     The    Confession  consisted  of  twenty- 
eight   articles,  of  which    twenty-one  stated  the 
views  of  those  who  signed  it,  and  the  remaining 
seven  recounted  the  abuses  which   had   led  to 
their   separation  from  the  Romish  community.  .. 
This  document  was  subscribed  only  by  the  Lu- 
therans ;  those  of  the  German  Reformers,  who 
sympathized  with  Zwingle's  opinion  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  refused  to  assent  to  it,  because  it  favored 
the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation. 

The  Emperor  would  not  allow  the  Confession 

to. come  before  the  Diet,  but,  after  hearing  its 

contents  in  a  more  private  assembly,  he  directed 

some  Popish  divines  to  prepare  an  answer  to  it, 

10* 


114    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

This  was  immediately  done,  and  the  reply  was, 
in  turn,  reviewed  by  Melancthon.  Nothing, 
however,  was  gained  by  the  discussion.  The 
contending  parties  remained  as  far  asunder  as 
ever.  The  summer  was  spent  in  fruitless  efforts 
to  bring  about  a  reconciliation.  Charles,  who 
was  desirous  of  avoiding  a  rupture  with  the  Pro- 
testants, whose  aid  he  needed  in  his  proposed  ex- 
pedition against  the  Turks,  made  great  exertions 
to  bring  them  to  terms.  He  tried  first  to  win 
over  the  leading  divines,  and  then  to  bribe  the 
most  eminent  among  the  princes.  But  although 
both  of  these  classes  were  anxious  for  peace, 
they  refused  to  purchase  it  by  an  abandonment 
of  their  religion.  They  were  prepared  to  endure 
any  and  every  extremity,  rather  than  do  violence 
to  their  own  consciences.  In  leaving  the  Rom- 
ish communion  they  had  acted  from  principle, 
and  neither  threats  nor  promises  could  induce 
them  again  to  submit  to  its  tyranny.  Not  pre- 
pared to  grant  them  perfect  toleration,  and  baffled 
in  every  attempt  to  persuade  them  to  acknowl- 
edge the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  Charles  at  last 
resolved  to  use  compulsion.  On  the  19th  of 
November,  when  many  of  the  Protestant  leaders 
had  left  the  city,  a  decree  was  passed, "  in  which 
new  force  was  added  to  the  Edict  of  Worms, 
and  the  princes  and  cities  that  had  become 
Aenated  from  the  Pontiff,  were  admonished  to 


LEAGUE    OF    SMALCALD.  115 

return  to  their  duty,  within  a  certain  time,  unless 
they  wished  to  incur  the  vengeance  of  the  Empe- 
ror." The  only  part  of  this  law,  which  was 
favorable  to  the  Reformers,  was  an  indefinite 
promise  of  a  general  Council. 

The  Elector  of  Saxony  and  his  friends  were 
greatly  alarmed  by  this  transaction.  It  shut  out 
all  hope  of  obtaining  justice,  and  called  upon 
them  for  some  new  measures  for  self-preserva- 
tion. They  met  at  Smalcald,  and  there,  after 
deliberating  upon  the  position  in  which  they 
were  placed,  they  formed  a  league  for  mutual 
protection,  and  conceived  the  design  of  elevating 
themselves  into  an  independent  confederacy. 
They  even  ventured  to  seek  assistance  from  for- 
eign powers.  This  plan  was  not  adopted,  how- 
ever, with  sole  reference  to  religious  matters. 
About  this  time  the  Emperor  wished  to  have  his 
brother  elected  king  of  the  Romans,  and  thereby 
to  give  him  control  over  Germany.  The  allied 
princes  saw  in  this  desire  another  blow  aimed 
at  their  liberty,  and  determined,  if  possible,  to 
prevent  its  execution.  Their  remonstrances 
were  disregarded  by  Charles,  and  Ferdinand  was 
crowned  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  about  the  middle  of 
January,  1531.  On  hearing  of  this  event  the 
Protestants  renewed  with  success  their  applica- 
tions for  support  to  the  king  of  France,  and  took 
a  still  more  decided  stand  in  opposition  to  t] 
sovereign. 


116    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

The  Emperor,  unprepared  for  these  bold  pro- 
ceedings, was  speedily   convinced    how  impoli- 
tic, at    present,   would    be  the   employment   of 
vioJence.     Instead  of  accomplishing   his   great 
design,  which  was  to  consolidate  Germany  into 
one  united  body,  he  found  that  by  consulting  the 
wishes  of  the  Pope  he  was  running  the  risk  of 
a  civil  war.     To  avoid  a  result  so  disastrous,  he 
began  to  sue  for  peace.     After  much  negotiation 
and   delay,    a  truce    was  agreed    upon    by   the 
Emperor  and  the  Protestants  at  Nuremberg  in 
1532.     The   terms  of  this  peace  were,  that  the 
Protestants  should  assist  in  the  Turkish  war,  and 
acknowledge   Ferdinand's   election    as   king  of 
the   Romans,  -while  the   Emperor  annulled  the 
Edicts  of  Worms  and  Augsburg,  granted  to  the 
Lutherans  "full  liberty  to  regulate  their  religious 
matters  as  they  pleased,  until  either  a  Council, 
which  was  to  be  held  within  six  months,  or  a  Diet 
of  the  empire,  should  determine  what  religious 
principles  were  to  be  adopted  and  obeyed."  Just 
after  the  conclusion  of  this  pacification  the  Elec- 
tor of  Saxony  died  ;  an  event  of  no  injury  to  the 
Reformers,  as  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  John 
Frederic,    who   was    an    ardent  friend   to  their 
cause. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  117 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  ANABAPTISTS  — THEIR  ORIGIN  AND  LEADERS  — 
THEIR  CAPTURE  OF  THE  CITY  OF  MUNSTER  — THEIR 
DEFEAT.  1533  - 1535. 

THE  disturbed  state  of  men's  minds,  during 
the  times  of  the  Reformation,  gave  rise  to  some 
strange  excesses,  which,  although  they  may  not 
in  strictness  be  considered  a  part  of  the  history 
of  that  event,  are  yet  too  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive to  be  entirely  omitted.  Of  one  of  these, — 
the  War  of  the  Peasants,  —  we  have  already  given 
some  account;  and  we  shall  devote  this  chapter 
to  a  brief  description  of  another,  which,  will,  per- 
haps, serve  to  remind  our  readers  how  necessary 
to  the  welfare  and  virtue  of  society  are  the 
restraints  of  knowledge,  reason,  and  good  govern- 
ment. 

The  insurrection  of  the  peasantry,  although 
chiefly  owing  to  the  oppression  of  their  masters, 
was,  as  has  been  stated,  influenced  and  pro- 
moted by  religious  fanaticism.  After  the  rebellion 
was  crushed,  some  of  the  enthusiasts  who  had 
been  engaged  in  it  roamed  about  Germany  and 
Switzerland,  and  spread  their  over-heated  zeal 
and  extravagant  notions  among  the  lower  classes 
of  the  people.  As  the  number  of  their  converts 


118    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

increased,  their  restlessness  and  wild  conduct 
frequently  called  for  the  interference  of  the  civil 
authority,  and  in  some  places  they  were  treated 
with  great  severity.  Notwithstanding  this,  they 
continued  to  multiply  with  great  rapidity,  being 
every  where  joined  by  the  idle,  discontented,  and 
ignorant,  until  the  years  1533  and  4,  when  they 
appeared  in  crowds  and  caused  great  disturb- 
ances. Their  distinguishing  tenet,  and  the  one 
from  which  they  derived  their  name  of  Anabap- 
tists, (to  re-baptize),  related  to  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism, which  they  contended  ought  only  to  be 
administered  to  adults,  and  then  always  by  im- 
mersion and  not  by  sprinkling.  In  addition  to 
this  they  professed  many  dangerous,  opinions. 
They  declared  the  existence  of  civil  government 
to  be  an  encroachment  upon  the  privileges  of 
Christians,  who  were  a  law  unto  themselves; 
they  allowed  polygamy ;  they  insisted  that  the 
distinctions  occasioned  by  birth,  rank,  or  wealth 
were  contrary  to  the  gospel,  and  that  all  posses- 
sions should  be  thrown  into  a  common  treasury, 
for  the  use  of  the  whole  community,  who  were  to 
live  together  as  brethren  on  a  perfect  equality; 
they  also  pretended  to  the  gift  of  prophecy  and 
to  immediate  inspiration,  and  held  all  human 
learning  in  contempt. 

Sentiments  like  these,  promulgated  by  disso*- 
lute  impostors  or  ignorant  fanatics,  soon  produced 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  119 

most  lamentable  consequences.  In  the  year  1534, 
John  Matthias,  a  baker  of  Harlem,  and  John 
Bockhold,  a  tailor  of  Leyden,  filled  with  a  rage  for 
making  proselytes,  and  forming  a  society,  fixed 
upon  the  city  of  Miinster  in  Westphalia,  as  a  place 
of  residence.  Here  they  gained  over  and  deceived 
many  of  the  populace,  and  among  the  rest  a  Pro- 
testant clergyman,  and  an  opulent  magistrate  by 
the  name  of  Knipperdolling.  When  their  followers 
were  sufficiently  numerous  to  warrant  the  step, 
they  sallied  forth  at  midnight,  seized  upon  the 
arsenal  and  Senate  house,  and  ran  through  the 
streets,  sword  in  hand,  crying,  "  Repent  and  be 
baptized!"  "Depart  ye  ungodly  !"  The  bishop  of 
Miinster,  and  the  sober  citizens,  both  Catholics 
and  Protestants,  fled  in  terror,  and  left  the  town 
in  the  hands  of  the  fanatical  multitude.  Freed 
from  all  control,  the  Anabaptists  .yielded  them- 
selves up  to  the  directions  of  Matthias. 

The  community  was  formed  into  a  sort  of 
Commonwealth,  of  which  Knipperdolling  and 
another  were  nominally  appointed  consuls ;  all 
the  real  authority  being  possessed  by  the  fanati- 
cal baker.  The  churches  were  plundered  and 
their  ornaments  destroyed  ;  —  all  books  were 
burnt  except  the  Bible;  —  the  gold,  silver,  and 
other  valuable  articles  found  in  the  houses  of  the 
opulent  citizens  were  collected  together  into  a 
common  treasury ;  and  in  order  to  establish  a 


120    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

more  perfect  equality,  the  multitude  ate  at 
tables  daily  prepared  in  public.  Having  finished 
these  arrangements,  Matthias  next  set  his  fol- 
lowers at  work  to  fortify  the  city,  and  sent 
emissaries  to  invite  the  Anabaptists  in  other  parts 
of  the  country  to  assemble  at  Minister,  or,  as  it 
was  now  called,  Mount  Sion. 

While  this  strange  revolution  was  going  on, 
the  bishop  of  Miinster  began  to  raise  forces,  for 
the  purpose  of  attacking  the  city  and  driving  out 
the  rebels.  The  moment  the  army  appeared 
before  the  walls,  Matthias  sallied  forth  and 
routed  one  division  of  it  with  great  slaughter. 
He  returned  from  this  victory,  loaded  with  spoils 
and  in  higher  repute  than  ever  with  his  deluded 
followers.  "Intoxicated  with  this  success,  he 
appeared  the  next  day  brandishing  a  spear,  and 
declared  that,  in  imitation  of  Gideon,  he  would 
go  forth  with  a  handful  of  men  and  smite  the 
ungodly.  Thirty  persons,  whom  he  named,  fol- 
lowed him  without  hesitation,  and  rushing  on  the 
enemy  were  cut  off  to  a  man." 

The  death  of  Matthias  at  first  confounded  the 
Anabaptists.  But  Bockhold  rose  up  to  take  his 
place  as  a  leader,  and  soon  succeede4  to  his 
influence  over  the  infatuated  multitude.  Less 
courageous,  but  more  ambitious,  less  skilful,  but 
more  fanatical  than  his  predecessor,  the  new 
prophet  and  general  contented  himself  with  a 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  121 

defensive  war,  and  strove  diligently  to  increase 
his  authority  over  his  disciples.  Having  pre- 
pared the  people  by  a  series  of  well-managed 
predictions  to  expect  some  great  event,  Bockhold 
went  naked  about  the  streets  proclaiming,  "  That 
the  kingdom  of  Sion  was  at  hand ;  that  whatever 
was  highest  on  earth  should  be  brought  low,  and 
whatever  was  lowest  should  be  exalted."  He 
began  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  words  by  depriv- 
ing Knipperdolling,  who  was  so  deluded  as  to 
rejoice  in  the  change,  of  his  office  as  a  magis- 
trate, and  appointing  him  to  the  station  of  com- 
mon hangman.  He  likewise  degraded  all  others 
in  authority,  and  ordered  the  most  lofty  buildings 
in  the  city  to  be  demolished.  "In  place  of  the 
deposed  magistrates,  he  set  up  twelve  men  whom 
he  styled  judges,  according  to  the  number  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  to  preside  in  all  affairs  ;  retaining 
to  himself  the  same  authority  which  Moses  an- 
ciently possessed  as  the  legislator  of  the  Jews." 
This  authority  did  not,  however,  long  satisfy 
him.  He  longed  for  the  power  of  a  monarch  ; 
and  at  length  succeeded  in  persuading  his  fol- 
lowers that  a  special  revelation  had  been  given 
him,  which  declared  it  to  be  the  will  of  God  that 
he  should  be  king  of  Sion  and  sit  on  the  throne 
of  David.  Accordingly,  with  the  consent  of  his 
subjects,  he  now  put  on  a  golden  crown,  clothed 
himself  in. royal  apparel,  cpined  money  stamped 
11 


122   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

with  his  own  image,  surrounded  himself  with 
guards,  and  appointed  the  pliant  Knipperdolling, 
as  a  reward  for  his  recent  degradation,  governor 
of  the  city. 

Having  attained  this  height  of  power,  Bock- 
hold's  enthusiasm  gave  way  to  the  open  indul- 
gence of  the  vilest  passions,  and  the  exercise  of 
the  most  bloody  tyranny.  Abandoned  to  all  sorts 
of  dissoluteness  himself,  he  encouraged  in  others 
a  total  disregard  of  the  laws  of  decency  and 
morality.  He  married  fourteen  wives,  and  per- 
mitted his  followers  to  imitate  his  example. 
Supported  by  those  who  cared  for  nothing  but 
the  gratification  of  their  senses  and  appetites, 
and  who  were  almost  transformed  into  brutes, 
he  instantly  executed  all  who  ventured  to  op- 
pose his  authority.  On  a  certain  occasion, 
"  one  of  his  wives  having  uttered  words  which 
implied  a  doubt  concerning  his  divine  mission, 
he  called  together  the  whole  number,  and  com- 
manding the  blasphemer,  as  he  termed  her,  to 
kneel  down,  cut  off  her  head  with  his  own 
hands  ;  and  so  far  were  the  rest  from  expressing 
any  horror  at  this  deed,  that  they  joined  him  in 
dancing  around  the  bleeding  body  of  their  com- 
panion. " 

Such  outrages  were  not  long  to  continue. 
The  pretensions  and  enormities  of  Bockhold 
attracted  the  attention  and  aroused  the  indigna- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  123 

tion  of  the  German  divines  and  rulers.  Luther 
loudly  called  upon  the  nobles  to  crush  the  mon- 
ster and  put  an  end  to  his  iniquities.  His  exhor- 
tations were  not  without  their  effect.  The 
princes  of  the  empire  assembled,  arid  voted  to 
raise  money  and  men  to  aid  the  bishop  of 
Miinster  in  the  recovery  of  his  city.  Their 
forces  were  put  under  the  command  of  a  skilful 
officer.  When  they  arrived  at  the  town,  the 
general  found  the  walls  too  strongly  fortified  and 
manned  to  hazard  an  assault ;  he  therefore 
determined  to  reduce  it  by  a  regular  siege. 
This  would  have  been  a  tedious  undertaking, 
had  not  the  Anabaptists  been  destitute  of  the 
means  of  support. 

They  had  now  been  in  possession  of  the  city 
about  fifteen  months;  and  notwithstanding  the 
care  which  had  been  taken  by  their  leaders  to 
guard  against  such  an  extremity,  they  began  to 
feel  the  pressure  of  an  approaching  famine. 
The  succors  they  had  expected  from  other  parts 
of  the  country  had  been  intercepted  and  cut  off; 
the  besieged  were  worn  out  and  enfeebled  by 
their  riotous  living,  and  their  labors  to  fortify 
and  defend  the  town.  Such,  however,  was  the 
ascendancy  obtained  over  them  by  Bockhold, 
that  they  kept  up  their  spirits  for  a  long  time, 
and  listened  with  implicit  faith  to  his  predictions 
that  some  miracle  would  yet  be  wrought  for  their 


124    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

deliverance.  But  at  last  the  confidence  of  some 
began  to  be  weakened  by  their  acute  sufferings ; 
starvation  threatened  them  and  no  prospect  of 
relief  had  appeared.  One  of  the  discontented 
escaped  from  the  city  and  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  to  whom  he  pointed  out  the  weakest 
parts  of  the  fortifications,  and  offered  to  act  as  a 
guide  if  they  would  venture  to  attack  them. 
This  proposal  was  gladly  accepted.  On  *he 
night  of  June  24th,  1535,  a  select  body  of  troops 
scaled  the  walls  and  opened  the  gates  of  the 
city  to  the  rest  of  the  army.  The  Anabaptists 
defended  themselves  with  all  the  courage  of 
despair;  but  overpowered  with  numbers  and 
weakened  by  hunger,  most  of  them  were  slain  or 
taken  prisoners.  Among  the  latter  was  Bock- 
hold  and  Knipperdolling.  The  king  loaded 
with  chains  was  carried  from  place  to  place  and 
exposed  to  the  insults  of  the  people.  Afterward 
he  was  brought  back  to  Miinster  and  there  tor- 
tured to  death,  in  company  with  Knipperdolling, 
with  red  hot  pincers  ;  and  their  bodies  were  hung 
in  cages  upon  the  steeple  of  one  of  the  churches, 
as  a  terror  to  all  rebels.  Bockhold,  who  at  the 
time  of  his  execution  was  only  twenty-six  years 
of  age,  remained  firm  to  the  last,  and  died 
adhering  to  the  tenets  of  his  sect  with  unshaken 
obstinacy. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

"  Together  with  its  monarch,"  says  Robertson, 
from  whose  history  of  Charles  V.  the  above 
account  has  been  mostly  compiled,  "  the  king- 
dom of  the  Anabaptists  came  to  an  end.  Their 
principles  having  taken  deep  root  in  the  Low- 
Countries,  the  party  still  subsists  there  under  the 
name  of  Mennonites  ;  but  by  a  very  singular 
revolution  this  sect,  so  mutinous  and  sanguinary 
at  its  first  origin,  hath  become  altogether  inno- 
cent and  pacific.  Holding  it  unlawful  to  wage 
war,  or  to  accept  of  civil  offices,  they  devote 
themselves  entirely  to  the  duties  of  private  citi- 
zens, and  by  their  industry  and  charity  endeav- 
our to  make  reparation  to  human  society  for  the 
violence  committed  by  their  founders," 


11* 


126    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

CONSEQUENCES  OF  THE  TRUCE  OF  NUREMBERG  — 
COUNCIL  OF  TRENT  — PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR- 
DEATH  OF  LUTHER -INVASION  OF  SAXONY  — SUB- 
MISSION OF  THE  PROTESTANTS  — CAPTURE  OF 
FREDERIC  — SUBMISSION  OF  THE  LANDGRAVE  OF 
HESSE.  1532-  1547. 

THE  truce  of  Nuremberg  was  a  great  gain 
to  the  Protestants.  Having  brought  the  Emperor 
to  consent  to  their  terms,  they  assumed  an  atti- 
tude of  dignity  and  importance  among  the  powers 
of  Europe,  and  those  who,  although  with  them  in 
opinion,  had  hitherto  been  too  doubtful  of  their 
success  to  join  them  openly,  now  hesitated  no 
longer.  Charles  having  learned  that  the  league 
of  Smalcald  was  not  to  be  despised,  appears  to 
have  been  anxious  to  fulfil  his  part  of  the  late 
treaty  with  that  body.  He  stopt  at  Bologna,  on 
his  way  to  Spain  in  1532,  and  had  an  interview 
with  the  Pope ;  in  which  he  urged  him  most 
strenuously  to  summon  the  Council  which  had 
been  promised.  This  Clement  was  unwilling  to 
do,  and  manifested  great  displeasure  at  the  favor 
shown  to  the  Reformers. 

Not  being  prepared,  however,  to  quarrel  with 
the  Emperor,  he  pretended  to  consent  to  his 
wishes.  Propositions  were  made  for  the  conven- 


TRUCE    OF    NUREMBERG.  127 

tion  of  a  Council ;  but  in  all  negotiations  for  this 
purpose  the  court  of  Rome  took  care  to  throw 
insurmountable  obstacles  m  the  way  of  its  ac- 
complishment. The  Pope  fixed  upon  Italy  as  the 
country  in  which  the  Council  should  be  held,  and 
insisted  that  the  writings  of  the  doctors  and 
fathers  of  the  Church  should  be  deemed  of  equal 
authority  with  the  Bible.  To  this  the  Protestants 
refused  to  listen.  They  demanded  a  free  Council 
to  meet  in  Germany,  and  that  all  points  in  dispute 
should  be  determined  by  an  appeal  to  the  words 
of  Scripture  alone.  Before  these  differences 
could  be  adjusted  Clement  died,  September  25th, 
1534,  and  was  succeeded  by  Paul  III. 

The  new  Pontiff  was  no  less  averse  than  his 
predecessor  to  a  compliance  with  the  request  of 
the  Emperor,  and  he  likewise  evaded  it  for  a  long 
time  by  the  most  artful  policy.  He  seemed 
indeed  quite  tractable  at  first,  and  in  1536  issued 
letters  summoning  a  Council  to  meet  at  Mantua. 
These  letters  he  knew  very  well  would  not  be 
obeyed,  as  he  had  purposely  selected  a  place 
for  the  proposed  assembly,  which  was  not  only 
objected  to  by  the  Protestants,  but  by  several 
other  princes,  including  the  Emperor  and  the  king 
of  France.  The  Reformers  expresed  their  dissat- 
isfaction at  another  meeting  at  Smalcald,  where 
they  renewed  their  confederacy  for  ten  years, 
and  protested  against  the  designs  of  the  Pope. 


128    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

Matters  proceeded  much  in  this  way  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  nothing  effectual  was  done 
towards  a  settlement  of  the  religious  disputes. 
Charles  was  engaged  in  an  expedition  into  Africa, 
and  was  afterwards  so  involved  in  wars  with 
France  and  the  Turks,  that  he  was  in  no  condi- 
tion to  do  much  to  compose  the  differences 
among  his  German  subjects.  As  he  needed  the 
aid  of  the  Protestants,  he  continued  to  grant  them 
many  indulgences,  and  endeavoured  to  secure 
their  good  will  by  appointing  a  conference  be- 
tween the  Catholic  and  Lutheran  divines,  and  by 
persevering  in  his  efforts  to  induce  the  Pope  to 
call  a  Council.  But  all  was  of  no  avail.  At 
last  having  made  a  peace  with  Francis,  and  in 
some  measure  relieved  himself  from  the  pressure 
of  his  other  concerns,  he  resolved  to  change  his 
policy,  and  to  bring  to  an  end  the  contest  between 
the  Romanists  and  the  Reformers. 

The  Pope  having  renewed  his  proposal  for  a 
Council,  to  be  convened  at  the  city  of  Trent, 
Charles  insisted,  in  a  Diet  held  at  Worms  in  1545, 
that  the  Protestants  should  consent  to  it ;  if  they 
did  not,  recourse  was  to  be  had  to  arms  to  com- 
pel their  obedience  or  to  punish  their  obstinacy. 
The  Protestants  remonstrated,  and  resolved  to 
run  every  risk  rather  than  abandon  their  princi- 
ples or  retract  their  just  demands.  Open  hostili- 
ties seemed  now  to  be  inevitable.  The  Emperor 


DEATH    OF    LUTHER.  129 

had  been  making  preparations  for  this  crisis,  and 
the  Elector  of  Saxony,  with  his  allies,  began  to 
take  measures  to  meet  the  approaching  storm. 

While  the  hostile  parties  were  arming  them- 
selves for  war,  and  his  country  was  about  to 
become  the  scene  of  sanguinary  conflicts,  Luther 
died.  Worn  out  with  his  many  labors  and 
troubled  with  many  infirmities,  he  set  out  on  a 
journey  to  Eisleben,  his  native  city,  to  adjust 
some  difficulties  which  had  arisen  between  its 
inhabitants  and  the  Counts  under  whose  jurisdic- 
tion they  lived.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  was 
seized  with  a  violent  inflammation  in  the  stomach. 
Medicine  did  him  no  good,  and  he  expired  on 
the  morning  of  the  18th  of  January,  1546,  in  the 
sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  The  character  of  this 
eminent  man  was  one  of  strong  lights  and 
shadows.  To  great  energy,  courage,  and  zeal 
were  added  other  qualities  less  worthy  of  com- 
mendation. His  faults  of  temper  were  a  source 
of  sorrow  to  himself,  as  well  as  to  his  friends. 
Inclined  to  be  headstrong  and  obstinate,  he  fre- 
quently failed  to  exercise  that  "  charity  which  is 
not  easily  provoked  ;"  and  partly  in  accordance 
with  the  bad  taste  of  the  age,  and  partly  from  the 
sinful  indulgence  of  an  irritable  disposition,  he 
was  apt,  in  the  heat  of  controversy  or  when 
opposed  by  others,  to  descend  to  the  use  of 
coarse,  scurrilous,  and  abusive  language.  But 


130         SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

with  all  these  defects,  which  are  neither  to  be 
excused  nor  denied,  he  claims  respect  for  the 
many  noble  qualities  and  deeds,  by  which  they 
are  to  some  extent  redeemed.  He  was  fearless 
and  conscientious  in  his  search  after  truth,  and 
bold  and  honest  in  its  defence.  Sincere  in  his 
\  piety,  inflexible  in  his  principles,  and  ready  to 
sacrifice  interest  and  to  expose  life  at  the  call  of 
duty,  he  deserved  the  gratitude  which  he  has 
received  from  the  Protestant  world. 

The  rupture  between  the  Emperor  and  the 
Protestants  was  now  rapidly  advancing  to  open 
warfare.  Some  account  of  the  parties  about  to 
engage  in  the  conflict  will  help  the  reader  to 
understand  its  character. 

The  defence  of  the  Romish  Church,  although 
the  ostensible,  was  by  no  means  the  principal, 
object  of  Charles  V.  It  was  the  earnest  desire 
of  that  ambitious  monarch  to  tighten  the  loose 
bonds  of  the  Germanic  Confederacy,  and  to  sub- 
ject the  whole  empire  to  his  supreme  authority. 
The  members  of  the  league  of  Smalcald  had 
asserted  their  independence  and  opposed  the  des- 
potic sway  coveted  by  their  sovereign.  While 
this  formidable  body  existed,  the  Emperor  knew 
that  his  power  would  be  resisted  ;  and  it  was  this 
consideration,  rather  than  any  personal  interest 
in  the  religious  controversy,  which  made  him 
anxious  for  its  destruction.  His  motive  and  de- 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    WAR.  131 

sign  were  suspected  by  the  associated  princes, 
and  they  clung  to  each  other,  not  only  for  the  de- 
fence of  their  theological  opinions,  but  also  for 
the  defence  of  their  political  rights. 

The  union  among  the  Reformers  was  not,  how- 
ever, perfectly  harmonious.  The  leaders,  —  the 
Elector  of  Saxony  and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse, 
—  differed  in  opinion  as  to  the  line  of  conduct  to 
be  pursued,  and  thus  prevented  for  a  season  that 
vigorous  action  which  their  perilous  position 
required.  The  latter  of  these  noblemen,  with 
more  sagacity  than  his  colleague,  was  desirous  of 
obtaining  aid  from  the  kings  of  France  and  Eng- 
land, arid  from  the  followers  of  Zwingle ;  but 
the  former,  who  was  bigoted  in  his  adherence  to 

'  o 

the  creed  and  advice  of  Luther,  objected  to  any 
alliance  with  Catholic  monarchs,  and  showed 
much  unwillingness  to  invite  the  cooperation  of 
those  who  rejected  his  view  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Thus  a  cordial  sympathy  was  wanting  between 
the  commanders,  which  interrupted  their  pre- 
parations for  war.  It  was  only  when  self-pre- 
servation seemed  absolutely  to  demand  it,  that 
the  Elector  got  over  his  scruples  and  yielded  to 
the  policy  of  the  Landgrave.  But  his  consent  to 
the  application  for  aid  from  foreign  powers  was 
of  little  benefit.  France  and  England  were  not 

o 

disposed  to  render  any  efficient  assistance,  and 
the  Romish  party  was  so  numerous  in  Switzer- 


132    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

land,  that  the  Cantons  voted  to  preserve  a  strict 
neutrality  with  reference  to  the  approaching 
conflict.  This  disappointment  did  not  prevent 
the  Protestants  from  raising  a  large  army,  and  it 
will  be  seen  that  their  ill  success  was  not  owing 
to  a  want  of  troops. 

The  opening  of  the  Council  of  Trent  in  1546 
was  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  hostili- 
ties. Charles  had  been  enlisting  soldiers  in  the 
Netherlands  (a  part  of  his  hereditary  dominions), 
and  was  likewise  expecting  the  arrival  of  an  addi- 
tional force  to  be  furnished  by  the  Pope.  Neither 
of  these  bodies  of  troops  had  arrived,  when  the 
Protestants  took  the  field,  with  a  well-disciplined 
army  of  seventy  thousand  foot  and  fifteen  thou- 
sand horse,  provided  with  a  train  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  cannon.  The  zeal  of  the  Reformers 
and  the  progress  of  their  opinions  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact,  that  this  armament  was  wholly  fur- 
nished by  three  of  the  princes  and  three  of  the 
free  cities.  Many  of  the  noblemen,  who  had 
embraced  the  Lutheran  doctrine,  having  been 
induced,  either  by  the  threats  or  promises  of  the 
Emperor,  to  join  his  standard  or  to  remain  inac- 
tive. One  of  these  deserters,  who  occupies  a 
conspicuous  place  in  the  history  of  this  period, 
was  Maurice,  Duke  of  Saxony,  a  nephew  of  the 
Elector  Frederic  and  the  son-in-law  of  the  Land- 
grave of  Hesse.  This  young  and  exceedingly 


MAURICE    DUKE    OF    SAXONY.  133 

ambitious  prince  courted  the  favor  of  the  Empe- 
ror, in  the  hope  that,  amid  the  distractions  of  civil 
war,  he  might  find  means  to  increase  his  own 
power  by  getting  possession  of  the  territories  of 
his  uncle.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  he  was 
actuated  in  part  by  better  motives.  He  might 
have  been  deceived  by  the  fair  professions  of 
Charles,  that  he  had  no  intention  of  interfering 
with  the  religious  opinions  of  the  Reformers.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  we  shall  presently  find  that  Mau- 
rice, by  his  ability  and  intrigues,  succeeded  in 
obtaining  the  power  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  Pro- 
testants ;  and  that  happily  for  them  he  found  it 
for  his  interest  to  be  their  friend  and  defender. 

Had  the  Protestants  at  once  attacked  the  Em- 
peror, who  was  shut  up  in  the  town  of  Ratisbon 
and  defended  only  by  about  eight  thousand  men, 
they  would  have  obtained  an  easy  victory.  But 
unwilling  to  be  the  first,  unless  compelled  by 
absolute  necessity,  to  kindle  the  flames  of  a  civil 
war,  they  determined  to  try  once  more  the  effect 
of  negotiations.  They  appealed  by  letter  to  the 
justice  of  Charles,  and  pointed  out  the  ruinous 
consequences  which  must  follow  from  his  con- 
tinued aggressions  upon  their  rights.  To  this 
remonstrance  he  made  no  reply ;  but  immediately 
declared  the  authors  of  it  outlaws  and  rebels, 
who  were  deprived  of  their  privileges  as  members 
of  the  Germanic  Confederacy,  and  whose  property 
12 


134   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

and  territories  might  be  seized  and  invaded  with 
impunity.  Irritated  by  this  severe  sentence,  the 
Reformers  sent  a  herald  to  the  Imperial  camp  to 
make  a  formal  declaration  of  war.  But  this 
defiance  was  followed  by  no  decided  action. 
Divided  in  their  councils  the  Protestant  leaders 
were  sluggish  in  their  movements ;  while  the 
Emperor  by  skilful  mano3uvres  succeeded  in 
avoiding  a  battle  and  in  collecting  together  all  his 
troops. 

About  this  time  Maurice,  under  the  pretext  of 
executing  the  sentence  of  outlawry  mentioned 
above,  in  company  with  the  king  of  the  Romans, 
invaded  the  territories  of  his  uncle.  When  the 
news  of  this  event  reached  him,  Frederic  hasten- 
ed home  to  expel  the  invaders.  His  departure 
weakened  the  Protestant  army  and  confused  their 
plans.  Most  of  the  princes  found  it  necessary  to 
surrender  themselves  to  the  mercy  of  the  Emperor. 
This  haughty  monarch  treated  them  with  the 
greatest  severity.  "The  princes  in  person,  and 
the  cities  by  their  deputies,  were  compelled  to 
implore  pardon  in  the  humble  posture  of  suppli- 
cants,—  to  pay  heavy  fines  —  to  renounce  the 
league  of  Smalcald,  —  to  assist  if  required  in 
subduing  the  Elector  and  the  Landgrave,  who  still 
remained  in  arms,  and  to  comply  with  other  equal- 
ly harsh  conditions." 


CAPTURE  OF  THE  ELECTOR.     135 

In  the  mean  time  the  Elector  had  driven  out 
his  enemies  and  reestablished  his  authority  in 
Saxony.  This  he  the  more  easily  accomplished, 
as  the  Emperor  was  prevented  by  causes,  which 
need  not  be  detailed,  from  rendering  immediate 
assistance  to  his  brother  and  to  his  ally  Maurice. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1546,  we  find  the  Elector 
with  a  fine  body  of  troops  stationed  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Elbe,  near  Muhlberg.  Here  he 
remained  inactive  and  undecided  as  to  his 
future  movements.  In  the  evening  of  the  23d 
of  April,  Charles  with  an  army  of  sixteen  thou- 
sand men  arrived  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  "  The  stream  at  this  place  was  three 
hundred  paces  in  breadth,  above  four  feet  in 
depth,  its  current  rapid,  and  the  bank  possessed 
by  the  Saxons  was  higher  than  that  occupied  by 
the  Imperial  troops."  Notwithstanding  these  ob- 
stacles and  contrary  to  the  advice  of  his  generals, 
the  Emperor  resolved  to  force  his  passage  across 
the  Elbe.  A  bridge  of  boats  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  infantry  was  constructed  the  next 
morning,  in  spite  of  the  incessant  firing  kept  up 
by  the  enemy,  the  cavalry  led  by  the  Emperor  in 
person,  and  each  trooper  carrying  a  foot-soldier  be- 
hind him,  swam  and  forded  the  river,  and  by  great 
exertion  reached  the  opposite  bank.  The  Elector, 
either  on  account  of  his  own  indecision  or  deceived 
by  the  reports  of  his  officers,  was  taken  by  sur- 


136    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFOHMATION. 

prise,  and  being  unable  to  effect  a  retreat,  was 
compelled  to  risk  a  battle.  He  made  as  good  a 
disposition  of  his  forces  as  circumstances  would 
permit.  But,  notwithstanding  his  personal  bravery 
and  his  endeavours  to  animate  his  soldiers,  he 
was  speedily  defeated  and  taken  prisoner.  When 
led  into  the  presence  of  his  conqueror,  he  was 
calm  and  dignified.  "  The  fortune  of  war,"  said 
he,  (l  has  made  me  your  prisoner,  most  gracious 
Emperor,  and  I  hope  to  be  treated"  —  "Am  I 
then,"  interrupted  Charles,  "  at  last  acknowledged 
to  be  Emperor  ?  This  title  you  but  lately  denied 
me.  You  shall  be  treated  as  you  deserve." 
Frederic  made  no  reply,  but  quietly  accompanied 
the  soldiers  appointed  to  be  his  guard. 

The  Emperor,  after  resting  a  day  or  two,  to 
recover  from  the  fatio-ues  of  the  battle,  marched 

O  ' 

to  Wittemberg,  hoping  by  the  capture  of  that 
city,  which  was  the  capital  of  the  Elector's  do- 
minions, to  put  an  end  to  the  war.  Wittemberg 
was  one  of  the  strongest  towns  in  Germany ;  and 
Charles  being  unprovided  with  means  of  carry- 
ing on  a  siege,  found  the  accomplishment  of  his 
purpose  more  difficult  than  he  had  imagined. 
He  summoned  the  inhabitants  to  surrender.  But 
animated  by  the  noble  resolution  displayed  by 
Sibylla,  the  Elector's  wife,  they  refused  to  open 
-che  gates. .  To  compel  them  to  obey,  the  Em- 
peror had  recourse  to  a  most  cruel  plan.  He 


SURRENDER  OF  W1TTEMBERG.     137 

called  a  court  martial  of  his  own  officers,  and  in 
defiance  of  the  laws  of  the  empire  and  the  claims 
of  common  justice,  directed  them  to  condemn 
to  death  his  illustrious  prisoner.  This  done,  he 
sent  a  message  to  Sibylla,  declaring  that  unless 
the  city  was  instantly  given  up,  the  life  of  her 
husband  should  be  the  penalty  of  her  obstinacy. 

In  this  crisis,  Frederic  behaved  with  admirable 
fortitude.  When  his  sentence  was  communi- 
cated to  him  he  happened  to  be  playing  at  chess. 
Pausing  for  a  moment,  he  said,  "  It  is  easy  to 
.comprehend  this  sentence.  I  must  die,  because 
Wittemberg  will  not  surrender ;  and  I  shall  lay 
down  my  life  with  pleasure,  if  by  that  sacrifice  I 
can  preserve  the  dignity  of  my  house,  and  trans- 
nut  to  my  posterity  the  inheritance  which  be- 
longs to  them.  Would  to  God,  that  this  sentence 
may  not  affect  rny  wife  and  children  more  than 
it  intimidates  me !  and  that  they,  for  the  sake  of 
adding  a  few  days  to  3.  life  already  too  long,  may 
not  renounce  honors  and  territories  which  they 
were  born  to  possess."  He  then  resumed  his 
game,  and  having  beaten  his  antagonist  retired 
to  his  apartment. 

The    news   of  the  Elector's    danger    was  re- 
ceived in  the  city  with  the  greatest  consternation ; 
and  his  firmness  yielded  at  last  to  the  tears  of 
his  wife  and  the  entreaties  of  his  friends. 
12* 


138    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

He  submitted  himself  to  the  will  of  the  Em- 
peror so  far  as  his  civil  rights  and  offices  were 
concerned.  He  resigned  his  electorate,  —  which 
was  conferred  upon  Maurice  as  the  reward  of 
his  treachery,  —  gave  up  his  territories,  and  con- 
sented to  be  a  prisoner  for  life.  There  was  one 
point,  however,  on  which  he  would  make  no 
concessions.  Charles  insisted  at  first  upon  his 
submission  to  the  Pope  in  religious  matters ;  but 
without  success.  His  prisoner  was  inflexible. 
No  threats  could  induce  him  to  renounce  his 
faith  or  do  violence  to  his  conscience.  And 
having  gained  his  own  ends,  the  Emperor  was 
not  disposed  to  risk  a  defeat  of  them  by  a  very 
strenuous  defence  of  the  Church. 

The  Landgrave  of  Hesse  was  now  the  only 
Protestant  prince  who  remained  in  arms.  This 
nobleman  had  it  in  his  power  to  hold  out  long 
and  with  some  prospect  of  success  against  the 
Emperor.  But  intimidated  by  the  fate  of  the 
Elector,  and  urged  by  his  son-in-law  Maurice,  he 
at  last  consented  to  the  terms  of  submission 
dictated  by  Charles.  Among  other  severe  con- 
ditions the  arrogant  monarch  ordered  him  to 
appear  before  him  and  sue  for  mercy  on  his  knees. 
To  this  the  Landgrave  would  not  consent,  until 
he  had  received  the  solemn  assurance  that  his 
person  should  be  held  sacred.  He  then  entered 
the  Imperial  chamber  and  prostrated  himself  at 


SUBMILSION    OF    THE    LUNDGRAVE.       139 

the  feet  of  the  Emperor,  who  sat  unmoved  on 
a  splendid  throne.  The  unfortunate  prince  con- 
fessed his  guilt,  signed  the  articles  of  submis- 
sion, and  prepared  to  depart.  But  he  was 
stopped  by  the  guards.  Proud  of  his  success 
and  determined  to  crush  his  late  enemies, 
Charles  knew  not  where  to  stop  in  his  tyrannical 
course.  Disregarding  the  pledge  given  by  Mau- 
rice for  the  safety  of  the  Landgrave,  the  Em- 
peror ordered  him  to  be  detained  a  prisoner ; 
arid  by  stooping  thus  to  gratify  a  mean  revenge, 
he,  as  it  afterwards  appeared,  lost  all  that  he  had 
now  gained. 


140    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION'. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

DIET  AT  AUGSBURG  — COUNCIL  AT  TRENT  —  THE 
INTERIM  — JULIUS  III  — CHANGE  IN  THE  CONDUCT 
OF  MAURICE— MAURICE  ATTACKS  THE  EMPEROR- 
TREATY  OF  FASSAU  — CONCLUSION  OF  THE  REFOR- 
MATION IN  GERMANY.  1547-1555. 

THE  great  object  of  the  Lutherans,  notwith- 
standing the  present  disastrous  condition  of  their 
affairs,  was  near  to  its  accomplishment.  A  few 
more  important  events  served  to  release  Germany 
from  the  despotic  sway  of  the  Pope,  and  to  bestow 
upon  it  an  independent  church. 

The  imprisonment  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony 
and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  seemed  to  be  a  fatal 
blow  to  the  Protestants.  The  Emperor,  having 
crushed  the  most  powerful  of  his  enemies,  as- 
sumed towards  his  German  subjects  the  bearing 
rather  of  a  conqueror  than  of  a  sovereign.  He 
determined  to  settle  at  once  all  disputes  concern- 
ing religion.  For  this  purpose,  he  called  a  Diet 
at  Augsburg,  surrounded  it  with  his  troops,  and 
then  demanded  of  it  an  unqualified  submission 
to  the  decrees  of  the  Council  of  Trent.  This  step 
£s  not  to  be  attributed  to  any  partiality  for  the 
Pontiff.  Charles,  on  the  contrary,  was  desirous 
of  bringing  the  Council  over  to  his  interest,  and 
then  he  intended  to  use  it  to  weaken  the  in  flu- 


DIET    AT    AUGSBURG.  141 

ence  of  Rome.  He  met  with  little  resistance 
from  the  disheartened  Protestants ;  but  their 
obedience  was  of  little  service.  Paul,  who  began 
to  suspect  the  ambitious  purpose  of  the  Emperor, 
under  the  pretence  that  a  malignant  disease  had 
broken  out  at  Trent,  ordered  the  Council  to  be 
removed  to  Bologna,  a  city  within  his  own  juris- 
diction. This  measure  in  fact  put  an  end  to  its 
session. 

Unable  to  persuade  the  Pontiff  to  reassemble 
the  Council  without  delay,  Charles,  as  a  temporary 
expedient,  caused  a  paper  to  be  drawn  up  by 
which  the  religious  affairs  of  the  empire  were  to 
be  regulated  until  a  Council  should  be  called. 
This  document  was  called  the  Interim,  —  a  Latin 
word  which  signifies  in  the  mean  time,  —  because 
it  was  to  be  binding  only  for  a  limited  period,  and 
not  to  have  the  force  of  a  permanent  law.  Nei- 
ther Catholics  nor  Protestants  were  satisfied  with 
the  Interim,  although  by  various  concessions  and 
ambiguous  language,  an  effort  was  made  to  ren- 
der it  palatable  to  both  parties.  Charles  exerted 
all  his  power  to  enforce  it.  Knowing  the  influ- 
ence still  possessed  by  the  Elector  Frederic  over 
his  followers,  he  labored  with  much  earnestness 
to  gain  his  approbation.  But  the  captive  was  not 
to  be  moved  by  threats  or  promises.  "  I  cannot 
now,"  said  he,  "  in  my  old  age  abandon  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  I  early  contended ;  nor  in  order 


142    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

to  procure  freedom  during  a  few  declining  years, 
will  I  betray  that  good  cause,  on  account  of 
which  I  have  suffered  so  much  and  am  still 
willing  to  suffer.  Better  for  me  to  enjoy  in  this 
solitude  the  esteem  of  virtuous  men,  together  with 
the  approbation  of  my  own  conscience,  than  to 
return  to  the  world  with  the  imputation  and  guilt 
of  apostacy,  to  disgrace  and  embitter  the  remain- 
der of  my  days."  This  magnanimous  conduct 
drew  upon  the  Elector  new  hardships.  "  The 
rigor  of  his  confinement  was  increased ;  the 
number  of  his  servants  abridged  ;  the  Lutheran 
clergymen  who  had  hitherto  been  permitted  to 
attend  him  were  dismissed ;  and  even  the  books 
of  devotion  which  had  been  his  chief  consolation 
during  a  tedious  imprisonment  were  taken  from 
him." 

With  the  Diet  the  Emperor  was  more  success- 
ful. When  the  Interim  was  presented  to  that 
body,  one  of  the  members  arose  and  assented  to 
it  in  the  name  of  all  the  rest ;  and  although  he 
was  not  authorized  to  do  this,  no  one  ventured  to 
contradict  him,  and  thus  the  paper  was  accepted. 
This  timidity  is  accounted  for  when  we  remember 
the  sad  condition  of  the  Protestants  at  this  time. 
Their  leaders  were  in  prison.  Luther  was  dead. 
The  gentle  Melancthon  was  but  ill  suited  to 
the  management  of  affairs  at  a  period  so  stormy 
and  disastrous.  Many  noblemen  who  professed 


JULIUS  in.  143 

to  hold  the  new  opinions  were,  from  ambitious 
motives,  attached  to  the  standard  of  the  Emperor. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  Reformers  could 
expect  relief  from  the  clemency  of  their  sovereign 
alone,  and  therefore  dared  not  openly  offend  him. 
They  yielded  to  what  seemed  an  absolute  neces- 
sity, and  trusted  to  the  future  for  some  alleviation 
of  their  troubles. 

In  1550  Paul  died,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Julius  III.  This  Pope  consented  to  the  revival 
of  the  Council  at  Trent ;  and  another  Diet  was 
assembled  at  Augsburg  in  1551,  to  obtain  a 
promise  from  the  Protestants  to  abide  by  its  deci- 
sions. Surrounded  as  they  were  by  the  Imperial 
troops,  the  deputies  made  no  resistance.  Maurice 
alone  insisted  upon  some  conditions  favorable  to 
the  Reformers,  before  he  would  yield  to  the  Empe- 
ror's wishes.  Little  was  gained  by  this  measure. 
The  authority  of  Charles  was  soon  attacked  from 
a  quarter  whence  he  least  suspected  opposition, 
and  the  Reformation  was  about  to  owe  its  triumph 
in  Germany  to  the  arms  of  one  whose  apostacy 
had  been  threatening  its  destruction. 

Maurice,  as  has  already  been  related,  had 
been  induced  to  join  the  Emperor  in  his  attack 
upon  the  league  of  Smalcald,  by  a  desire  to  en- 
large his  territories  and  to  acquire  the  electorate 
of  his  uncle.  After  the  imprisonment  of  his 
father-in-law,  he  still  favored  the  Imperial  cause, 


144    SKSTCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

hoping  thereby  to  obtain  the  more  easily  his 
release.  But  it  was  not  long  before  he  deter- 
mined to  change  his  course.  Possessed  of  the 
rank  he  had  coveted,  deceived  by  the  promises 
of  Charles,  and  probably  ashamed  also  of  the  aid 
he  had  given  to  those  tyrannical  measures,  by 
which  the  independence  of  Germany  had  been 
infringed  and  the  Protestant  cause  almost  ruined, 
he  resolved  to  desert  the  Emperor,  and  to  wrest 
from  him  the  power  so  unjustly  usurped. 

By  great  cunning  and  caution  Maurice  was 
able  to  keep  Charles  in  ignorance  of  his  designs, 
until  the  moment  for  throwing  off  the  mask 
arrived.  He  formed  an  alliance  with  the  king  of 
France,  collected  together  under  different  pre- 
tences large  bodies  of  troops,  and  then  issued  a 
proclamation  setting  forth  his  reasons  for  taking 
up  arms.  "  These  were  three  in  number  ;  that 
he  might  rescue  the  Protestant  religion,  maintain 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  empire,  and  save 
Germany  from  being  subject  to  an  absolute  mon- 
arch, and  deliver  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  from  a 
long  and  unjust  imprisonment."  These  profes- 
sions brought  to  his  standard  all  the  friends  of 
liberty,  and  all  who  resented  the  disgraceful  and 
cruel  treatment  of  one  of  the  chief  princes  of 
the  empire. 

With  the  large  and  well  appointed  army  thus 
assembled  Maurice  fell  upon  the  Emperor,  as  he 


TREATY    OF    PASSAU.  145 

lay  at  Inspruck,  confined  by  the  gout  and  totally 
unsuspicious  of  danger.  Charles  escaped  in  a 
litter,  attended  by  his  courtiers,  some  on  such 
horses  as  were  at  hand,  others  on  foot,  and  all 
in  the  utmost  confusion.  In  the  midst  of  the 
tumult  the  Landgrave  and  the  Elector  were  set 
at  liberty. 

This  blow  was  so  vigorously  followed  up  by 
Maurice,  that  the  Emperor  was  soon  compelled 
to  sue  for  peace.  Accordingly,  on  the  2d  of 
August,  1552,  a  treaty  was  signed  at  Passau,  in 
which  the  unmolested  enjoyment  of  their  religion 
was  guaranteed  to  the  Protestants.  This  treaty 
was  formally  recognised  by  a  Diet  assembled  for 
that  purpose  at  Augsburg  in  1555,  who  passed  a 
decree,  by  which  "  all  who  had  embraced  the 
Augsburg  Confession,  were  pronounced  free  from 
all  jurisdiction  of  the  Pope,  and  were  bidden  to 
live  securely  under  their  own  regulations.  Lib- 
erty was  also  given  to  all  Germans  to  join  either 
the  Lutheran  or  Romish  Church,  as  they  pleased, 
and  all  were  declared  to  be  public  enemies  of  the 
empire,  who  should  molest  others  on  the  ground 
of  their  religion." 

With  the  ratification  of  this  treaty  we  shall 
close  this  part  of  our  Sketch ;  not  because  from 
this  time  all  change  and  all  dispute  in  regard  to 
religious  matters  ceased,  —  but  because  by  this 
transaction  that  object  was  secured,  for  which 
13 


146    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

the  Reformers  had  been  striving  during  the  last 
half  of  a  century.  They  were  now  released  by 
law  from  the  tyranny  of  Rome,  and  their  separa- 
tion from  the  Catholic  Church  was  formally  ac- 
knowledged. 

While  the  events  which  we  have  recorded, 
were  taking  place  in  Germany,  the  Reformation 
was  successfully  prosecuted  in  Switzerland,  and 
introduced  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  into  most 
of  the  countries  of  Europe.  In  Great  Britain 
also  opposition  to  the  papal  authority  early  showed 
itself,  and  England  and  Scotland  withdrew  from 
the  Romish  Church.  The  Reformation  in  these 
two  latter  kingdoms  is,  for  many  reasons,  deserv- 
ing of  a  separate  notice ;  and  the  remainder  of 
this  volume  will  be  devoted  to  a  brief  account  of 
its  rise  arid  progress. 


IN    ENGLANB.  147 


CHAPTER  XIII, 

REFORMATION  IN,  ENGLAND  —  WICKLTFFE  —  JOHN 
HUSS  — THE  LOLLARDS  —  WILLIAM  SAUTRE  —  JOHN 
BALBY— LORD  CDliHAM.  1234-1417. 

As  an  introduction  to  the  story  of  the  Refor- 
mation in  England,  it  will  be  well  to  look  back 
for  a  moment,  to  a  period  much  earlier  than  that 
of  Luther  ;  for  the  separation  of  the  ecclesiatical 
affairs  of  the  English  Church,  from  the  dominion 
of  Rome,  was  facilitated  by  those  who,  probably, 
never  dreamed,  that  such  a  result  was,  in  part, 
to  be  brought  about  by  their  agency.  Still,  in 
the  opposition  of  a  single  individual  to  the  hard 
oppression  and  gross  errors  of  the  papal  system, 
may  be  found,  not  only  the  commencement  of  that 
train  of  events,  which  ended  in  the  destruction 
of  the  Pope's  authority  in  England,  but  also  the 
impulse  which  worked  out  the  great  change,  al- 
ready described,  on  the  continent. 

TJie  eminent  man  referred  to  was  John  Wick- 
liflfe,  who  was  born  in  a  village  of  the  same  name 
on  the  river  Tees,  about  the  year  1324.  Of  the 
earlier  part  of  his  life,  little  is  known.  He  was 
educated  at  Oxford,  and  from  his  diligent  atten- 
tion to  the  study  of  Scripture,  obtained  the  title 
of  the  Gospel  Doctor  ;  an  honorable  name  in  an 


148    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

age,  when,  as  he  himself  says,  "it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  for  men  to  call  God  Master, 
forty,  three  score,  or  four  score  years,  and  yet 
remain  ignorant  of  his  ten  commandments." 

WicklifFe  first  appeared  as  a  Reformer  in  an 
attack  upon  the  Mendicants,  or  Begging  Friars. 
The  indolent  and  luxurious  lives  of  the  monks 
who  resided  in  the  monasteries,  and  of  the  other 
regular  clergy,  brought  great  scandal  upon  the 
Church.  To  remedy  this  difficulty,  the  order  of 
Mendicants  was  established  in  the  13th  century, 
who  bound  themselves  to  a  life  of  poverty  and 
abstinence,  and  were  favored  by  the  Popes,  with 
some  peculiar  privileges.  They  were  exempted, 
for  instance,  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  bishops, 
and  from  the  secular  authorities ;  they  might 
demand  alms  of  every  body  out  of  the  monaste- 
ries ;  they  might  preach,  hear  confessions,  say 
mass,  and  perform  other  offices,  any  where,  and 
without  regard  to  the  parish  priests.  The  court 
of  Rome  rejoiced  in  this  army  of  wandering 
dependents,  thus  raised  up  to  increase  its  power 
and  execute  its  commands.  But  it  was  not  long 
before  these  new  servants  forgot  their  vows.  As 
their  numbers  increased,  they  swarmed  all  over 
Christendom,  and  became  ambitious  of  power 
and  covetous  of  wealth.  They  interfered  with 
the  other  clergy,  obtained  great  political  influ- 
ence, insinuated  themselves  into  the  universities, 


WICKLIFFE.  149 

and  caused  trouble  wherever  they  came.  The 
College  at  Oxford  suffered  so  much  from  their 
intrigues,  and  their  efforts  to  enlist  the  students, 
that  parents  were  afraid  to  trust  their  sons  at 
that  institution ;  and  the  number  of  scholars 
was  at  one  time  reduced  from  thirty  to  six 
thousand. 

Wickliffe,  indignant  at  these  proceedings, 
attacked  the  Mendicants  with  boldness  and 
vigor,  and  they  became  his  bitter  and  relentless 
foes.  A  single  anecdote  will  show  the  state  of 
feeling,  which  existed  between  the  Reformer  and 
the  Friars.  In  the  year  1379,  when  Wickliffe 
was  dangerously  sick,  some  of  the  Mendicants 
paid  him  a  visit,  hoping  to  frighten  him  into 
concessions  in  their  favor.  When  they  had 
finished  their  threats  and  exhortations,  he  order- 
ed his  servants  to  raise  him  in  bed,  and  said ; 
"  I  shall  not  die  but  live  still  further,  to  declare 
the  evil  deeds  of  the  Friars." 

It  would  be  foreign  from  our  purpose  to  follow 
in  detail  the  course  of  "  the  Morning  Star  of  the 
Reformation,"  as  Wickliffe  has  been  called. 
Besides  his  opposition  to  the  Mendicants,  he 
supported  the  English  government  in  its  resist- 
ance to  the  inordinate  demands  of  the  Pope,  and 
fearlessly  exposed  and  denounced  the  corruptions 
of  the  Church.  He  was  once  sent,  like  Luther, 
on  an  embassy  to  Rome,  and  from  what  he  saw 


150    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

there,  became  also,  like  Luther,  more  decided 
and  zealous  in  his  exertions  for  a  reform.  He 
was  frequently  summoned  to  answer  for  his 
rebellious  conduct  and  heretical  opinions,  by  the 
officers  of  the  Pope  ;  but  his  followers  were  so 
numerous,  and  his  popularity  with  the  king  and 
his  countrymen  so  great,  that  he  escaped  with 
slight  punishment,  and  died  a  natural  death. 
While  engaged  in  the  services  of  public  worship, 
in  his  church  at  Lutterworth,  he  was  struck  with 
the  palsy,  and  expired  soon  after  he  was  taken 
home,  December  29,  1384,  in  the  sixty-first  year 
of  his  age. 

fiihe  character  of  Wickliffe  was  by  no  means 
faultless,  and  many  of  his  opinions  would  now  be 
deemed  absurd  and  erroneous.  But  he  deserves 
respect  for  his  denial  of  the  infallibility  of  the 
Pope,  his  reverence  for  the  Scriptures  as  the 
rule  of  life  and  faith,  and  the  courage  he  display- 
ed by  exposing  the  falsehoods  of  the  Romish 
Church.  Among  other  good  works,  by  which 
he  aided  the  Reformation,  his  translation  of  the 
Bible  was,  without  doubt,  the  most  important. 
This  served  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  people  at 
large  to  the  abuses  of  the  clergy  and  to  the  errors 
of  their  creed.  It  may  gratify  the  curiosity  of 
the  reader  to  see  a  specimen  of  this  work ;  and 
therefore,  we  subjoin  his  version  of  the  Thirteenth 
Chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 


wicKLiirfa.!!  I V I  T*&  I T  i 


"  If  I  speke  with  tungis  of  men  and  of  aungels 
and  I  haue  not  charite,  I  am  maad  as  bras  sown- 
ynge,  or  a  cymbal  tynklygne,  and  if  I  haue  pro- 
fecie  and  knowe  alle  mysteries  and  al  kynnyng, 
and  if  I  haue  al  feith,  so  that  I  moue  hillis  fro 
her  place,  and  I  haue  not  charite  I  am  nought, 
and  if  I  departe  alle  my  goodis  into  the  metis  of 
pore  men,  and  if  I  bitake  my  bodi  so  that  I  brenne 
and  if  I  haue  not  charite  it  profitith  to  me  no 
thing,  charity  is  pacient,  it  is  benynge.  charite 
enuyeth  not,  it  doith  not  wickidli,  it  is  not  blowun, 
it  is  not  coueitous,  it  sekith  not  tho  thingis  that 
ben  hise  own.  it  is  not  stired  to  wraththe,  it 
thenkith  not  youel,  it  ioieth  not  on  wickednesse, 
but  it  ioieth  togidre  to  treuthe,  it  suffrith  alle 
thingis,  it  bileueth  alle  thingis,  it  hopith  alle 
thingis,  it  susteyneth  alle  thingis.  charite  fallith 
neuere  doun.  whethir  profecies  schulen  be  void- 
ed, eithir  langagis  schulen  ceese,  eithir  science 
schal  be  destried.  for  aparti  we  knowen,  and 
aparti  we  profecien,  but  whanne  that  schal  corne 
that  is  parfyt,  that  thing  that  is  of  parti  schal  be 
auoidid.  whanne  I  was  a  litil  child  I  spak  as  a 
litil  child,  I  undirstood  as  a  litil  child,  I  thoughte 
as  a  litil  child  ;  but  whaane  I  was  maad  a  man  I 
voidide  tho  thingis  that  weren  of  a  litil  child, 
and  we  seen  now  by  a  myrour  in  derknesse,  but 
thanne  face  to  face,  now  I  knowe  of  parti,  but 
thanne  I  schal  knowe  as  I  am  knowun.  and  now 
dwellen  feith,  hope  and  charite  these  thre,  but 
the  moost  of  these  is  charite." 


152    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

Richard  II.,  during  whose  reign  WicklifFe 
flourished,  married  a  princess  of  Bohemia,  and 
through  her  attendants  the  opinions  of  this  early 
Reformer  found  their  way  into  that  country. 
His  writings,  here,  attracted  the  attention  of 
John  Huss,  who  had  already  begun  to  doubt  the 
purity  of  the  Church.  Encouraged  by  rinding 
that  he  was  not  alone  in  his  objections  to  the 
papal  system,  this  eminent  man  was  more  bold 
than  ever  in  exposing  the  iniquities  of  Rome. 
He  was  soon  summoned  to  answer  for  his  here- 
sies, before  a  Council  assembled  at  Constance. 
Huss  ventured  to  obey  the  summons,  being  pro- 
tected as  he  thought  by  the  safe-conduct  granted 
by  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  But  his  enemies 
did  not  scruple  to  violate  the  public  faith,  and 
he  was  burnt  at  the  stake,  July  6,  1415.  He 
had,  however,  sown  much  seed,  and  numbers  of 
his  followers  were  to  be  found  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Thus  WicklifFe  stirred  up  the  spirit 
of  Huss,  and  Huss  prepared  the  way  for  Luther 
and  the  great  Reformation. 

In  England  the  disciples  of  WicklifFe  became  a 
sect,  called  the  Lollards,  —  a  name  formed  from 
a  word  in  one  of  the  old  German  dialects,  which 
means  to  sing,  as  when  a  mother  lulls  her  infant 
to  sleep.  This  appellation  was  first  given  as  a 
reproach,  and  in  allusion  to  their  practice  of 
singing  hymns.  These  Lollards  grew  to  be  very 


WILLIAM    SAUTRE.  153 

numerous.  In  some  respects  they  were  fanati- 
cal and  troublesome  subjects ;  and  to  this  and  to 
the  animosity  of  the  popish  clergy  are  to  be  at- 
tributed the  persecutions,  more  or  less  severe, 
according  to  the  state  of  public  affairs  and  the 
temper  of  the  different  monarchs,  which  they 
suffered  in  every  reign  until  that  of  Henry  VIII. 
Among  other  peculiarities,  the  Lollards  denied 
the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  and  maintain- 
ed that  the  bread  remained  bread  at  the  admin- 
istration of  the  Supper.  This  opinion  was  made 
the  badge  of  the  sect  by  their  judges,  and  who- 
soever held  it  was  condemned  to  death. 

These  hints  of  an  early  opposition  to  the  Ro- 
mish church  in  England,  will  give  the  reader 
some  idea  of  the  preparation  making  in  that 
country  for  a  more  thorough  reformation  ;  and 
the  temper  of  the  times,  previous  to  the  occur- 
rence of  that  event,  may  be  inferred  from  an 
account  of  two  or  three  cases  of  martyrdom. 

One  of  the  first  of  these,  was  that  of  William 
Sautre,  pastor  of  a  parish  in  London.  At  one 
trial  for  heresy,  he  was  persuaded  to  abjure  his 
opinions ;  his  apostacy,  however,  met  with  a 
charitable  judge  in  Fuller,  a  historian  of  the 
17th  century,  who  says  of  it ;  "  Let  those  who 
severely  censure  him  for  once  denying  the  truth, 
and  do  know  who  it  was  that  denied  his  Master 
thrice,  take  heed  they  do  not  as  bad  a  deed 


154    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION; 

more  than  four  times  themselves.  May  Sautre's 
final  constancy  be  as  surely  practised  by  men, 
as  his  former  cowardliness,  no  doubt,  is  pardoned 
by  God."  The  deception  of  which  he  had  been 
guilty  weighed  heavily  upon  the  mind  of  Sautre, 
and  to  quiet  his  conscience,  he  soon  asked  for 
another  hearing  and  was  arraigned  before  Arch- 
bishop Arundel.  When  the  usual  question  was 
put  to  him,  Whether  the  bread  remained  bread 
after  the  blessing  pronounced  at  the  Supper;  he 
replied  that  it  did.  Upon  this  answer  he  was 
condemned.  He  was  brought  to  St.  Paul's,  and 
being  there,  in  the  presence  of  the  bishops,  stript 
article  by  article  of  his  priestly  jewels  and  dress, 
he  was  afterward  delivered  over  to  the  execu- 
tioner and  burnt  at  the  stake. 

Another  sufferer  was  John  Balby,  a  tailor. 
The  box,  containing  the  consecrated  bread,  was 
brought  to  him,  as  he  stood  amid  the  faggots, 
prepared  for  his  execution,  and  he  was  there 
asked  how  he  believed  in  it?  He  answered, 
that  it  was  hallowed  bread.  Upon  this  the  wood 
was  set  on  fire.  The  poor  fellow  shrieked  for 
mercy  •  and  prince  Henry,  afterward  king,  being 
present  ordered  the  flames  to  be  quenched,  and 
offered  the  sufferer  his  life  and  a  daily  allowance 
of  money,  if  he  would  confess  his  errors.  But 
the  spirit  of  the  humble-  tailor  was  strong,  aU 
though  the  flesh  was  weak.  He  declined  the 


LORD  COBHAM.  155 


offer,  and   expired,  calling  upon  the  name  of 
Christ. 

The  persecution,  at  this  time,  was  no  respecter 
of  persons.  Arundel,  who  had  stooped  to  pun- 
ish the  poor  mechanic,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  V., 
sat  in  judgment  upon  a  peer  of  the  realm.  Lord 
Cobham,  a  man  high  in  the  favor  of  the  king, 
and  entrusted  with  the  most  important  offices, 
was  accused  of  Lollardy.  Henry  had  so  much 
regard  for  the  noble  qualities  of  his  favorite,  that 
he  desired  to  have  every  mild  measure  tried  for 
his  restoration  to  the  Church.  It  so  happened, 
that  a  volume  belonging  to  Lord  Cobham  was 
found  among  some  heretical  publications,  which 
were  about  to  be  burnt.  The  hook  was  sent  to 
the  king  and  found  to  contain  what  were  then 
deemed  pestilent  errors.  Henry  sent  for  the 
owner  and  demanded  of  him  if  the  volume  was 
indeed  his  property.  On  being  told  that  it  was, 
the  king  begged  him  to  confess  his  fault  and 
submit  to  the  Church.  "  You,  most  worthy 
Prince,"  was  the  nobleman's  answer,  "  I  am 
always  prompt  and  willing  to  obey  ;  unto  you,  — 
next  my  eternal  God,  —  owe  I  my  whole  obedi- 
ence; and  submit  thereunto,  —  as  I  have  ever 
done,  —  all  that  I  have,  either  of  fortune  or  na- 
ture, ready  at  all  times  to  fulfil  whatsoever  ye 
shall  in  the  Lord  command  me.  But  as  touch- 
ing the  Pope  and  his  spirituality,  I  owe  them 


156    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

neither  suit  nor  service  ;  for  so  much  as  I  know 
him  by  the  Scripture  to  be  the  great  Antichrist, 
the  son  of  perdition,  the  open  adversary  of  God, 
and  the  abomination  standing  in  the  holy  place." 
Upon  hearing  this  the  king  was  greatly  offended, 
and  ordered  the  clergy  to  proceed  against  him 
to  the  utmost. 

Cobham  immediately  shut  himself  up  in  his 
castle  and  defied,  for  a  time,  his  persecutors. 
But  the  archbishop  passed  sentence  of  excommu- 
nication against  him,  and  as  he  was  supported  by 
the  king,  Cobham  found  that  nothing  was  to  be 
gained  by  resistance.  He  therefore  changed  his 
course  of  action,  and  writing  a  statement  of  his 
belief,  presented  it  to  Henry,  beseeching  him  to 
regard  it  with  mercy.  This  paper  had  no  eifect 
to  soften  his  judges.  He  was  seized  and  brought 
to  trial.  His  intrepid  spirit  would  make  no  con- 
cessions. He  was  reviled  and  insulted,  and  en- 
gaged in  many  debates  with  his  enemies,  but  he 
remained  firm  and  constant  in  his  adherence  to 
the  opinions  of  WicklifFe.  On  one  occasion, 
Arundel  offered  him  absolution,  if  he  would 
humbly  desire  it :  —  "Nay  forsooth,  will  I  not," 
he  replied,  "  for  I  never  yet  trespassed  against 
you,  and  therefore  I  will  not  do  it !  "  He  then 
knelt  down  and  lifting  his  hands,  cried  out,  "  I 
shrive  me  here  unto  Thee,  my  eternal  God,  that 
in  my  youth  I  offended  thee,  O  Lord,  most  griev- 


LORD    COB HAM.  157 

ously  in  pride,  wrath,  covetousness,  and  gluttony  ! 
Many  men  have  I  hurt  in  mine  anger,  and  done 
many  other  horrible  sins  I  Good  Lord,  I  ask 
Thee  mercy  ! "  After  uttering  this  prayer,  he 
again  stood  up  and  addressed  the  assembly,  uLo 
good  people !  for  the  breaking  of  God's  law  and 
his  commandments  they  never  yet  cursed  me  ! 
But  for  their  own  laws  and  traditions  most 
cruelly  do  they  handle  me  and  other  men.  And, 
therefore,  both  they  and  their  laws,  by  the  prom- 
ise of  God,  shall  utterly  be  destroyed !  " 

This  bold  conduct  only  exasperated  his  perse- 
cutors, and  he  was  soon  afterward  condemned  to 
death.  By  some  means  or  other,  Cobham  escaped 
from  the  Tower  before  the  day  appointed  for 
execution.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Lollards  rallied  around  him,  and  formed  a  con- 
spiracy against  the  king.  This  part  of  his  history 
is,  however,  very  obscure.  He  kept  concealed 
during  four  years ;  at  last  he  was  discovered  in 
Wales.  He  was  determined  to  defend  himself 
to  the  last,  and  not  to  be  taken  alive ;  but  a 
woman  disabled  him  by  breaking  his  legs  with 
a  stool.  He  was  carried  to  London  and  burnt  in 
St.  Giles's  Fields  in  1417,  praising  God  with  his 
latest  breath. 

Many  other  instances  of  martyrdom,  extending 
through  several  reigns,  might  be  recited  ;  but 
these  are  sufficient  to  show  the  relentless  spirit 
14 


158    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

of  persecution,  with  which  all  who  ventured  to 
deny  the  pretensions  of  the  Pope  were  visited, 
and  to  give  some  idea  of  the  courage  which  ani- 
mated the  Reformers.  The  sufferings  of  the 
heretics  were  undoubtedly  beneficial  to  the  cause 
of  truth.  When  the  people  beheld  the  anxiety 
of  the  Papists  to  put  an  end  to  inquiry,  and  the 
firmness  with  which  their  victims  met  death, 
they  became  curious  to  learn  more  of  that  new 
doctrine,  so  alarming  to  the  clergy  and  so  com- 
forting to  its  professors ;  and  the  consequence 
was,  that  persecution  did  more  to  increase,  than 
to  diminish,  the  numbers  of  the  Lollards. 


HENRY    VIII.  159 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HENRY  VIII  —  HIS  DIVORCE  —  CARDINAL  WOLSEY 
—  MARRIAGE  OF  ANNE  BOLEYN  —  CRANMER  —  DE- 
STRUCTION OF  THE  POPE'S  SUPREMACY  IN  ENG- 
LAN  D  —  PERSECUTION.  1509  - 1534. 

WICKLIFFE'S  translation  of  the  Bible  and  the 
labors  of  the  Lollards  lessened  the  attachment  of 
many  of  the  people  to  the  Romish  Church,  and 
in  some  measure  prepared  the  way  for  the  de- 
struction of  its  authority  in  England,  The 
demand  for  a  reformation  grew  continually  loud- 
er, until  it  was  partially  answered  from  a  quarter, 
whence  little  aid  was  to  have  been  expected. 
The  caprice  and  passion  of  a  tyrannical  mon- 
arch were  made  to  some  extent  instrumental  in 
the  promotion  of  religious  truth  and  liberty.  To 
continue  our  history,  therefore,  we  must  enter  a 
new  field,  and  from  the  occurrences  and  intrigues 
of  the  long  and  despotic  reign  of  Henry  VIII. 
endeavour  to  select  those  incidents  which  mark 
the  progress  of  the  Reformation. 

Henry  VII.  having  been  penurious  and  op- 
pressive in  his  habits  and  temper,  the  elevation 
of  his  son  to  the  throne  in  the  year  1509,  was 
hailed  as  a  joyful  event.  The  young  prince  ap- 
peared to  be  as  generous  in  his  feelings,  as  he 


160    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

was  commanding  in  his  person  and  accomplished 
in  his  manners.  He  was  prodigal  in  his  expen- 
ditures, liberal  in  his  tastes,  and  although  of  a 
choleric  disposition,  he  seemed  on  the  whole  to 
be  good  natured  and  under  the  influence  of  a 
sense  of  justice.  The  passions  which  in  after 
times  made  him  a  tyrant  had  not  yet  showed 
themselves.  Previous  to  the  death  of  his  father 
he  took  no  part  in  political  affairs,  his  time  being 
devoted  to  literature  and  theology.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  his  reign  he  was  a  strong  papist, 
and  in  1522  published  a  book  in  answer  to  Lu- 
ther's treatise  on  the  Babylonish  Captivity.  This 
performance  was  sent  to  the  Pope,  with  great 
pomp,  who  received  it  graciously,  and  bestowed 
upon  its  author  the  appellation  of  Defender  of 
the  Faith,  a  title  still  retained  by  the  kings  of 
England,  although  in  a  very  different  sense  from 
that  in  which  it  was  granted. 

The  early  promise  which  Henry  gave  of  being 
a  faithful  supporter  of  the  Romish  Church  and  a 
good  sovereign  was  soon  disappointed.  Not  many 
years  had  elapsed,  before  he  began  to  exhibit  a 
most  selfish,  capricious,  and  vindictive  temper, 
which  regarded  neither  the  sanctity  he  had  as- 
cribed to  the  Pope  nor  the  lives  of  his  own  sub- 
jects. This  tyrannical  disposition  first  showed 
itself  in  his  efforts  to  put  away  his  queen, 
Catherine  of  Arragon,  who  had  formerly  been 


HENRY    VIII.  161 

the  wife  of  his  deceased  brother  Arthur.  A 
contract  of  marriage  between  Catherine  and 
Henry  had  been  made  by  their  parents.  The  lat- 
ter at  first  had  scruples  about  marrying  the  widow 
of  his  brother;  but  these  were  overruled  by  his 
counsellors,  and  on  his  coming  to  the  throne  the 
nuptials  were  solemnized.  Catherine  obtained 
an  ascendancy  over  the  affections  of  her  partner, 
and  they  lived. happily  together  for  twenty  years. 
At  length  the  doubts  of  Henry  as  to  the  propriety 
of  their  union  were  revived,  or  rather  he  brought 
them  forward  to  cover  the  real  motives  which 
induced  him  to  seek  a  divorce.  The  truth  was, 
the  beauty  of  the  queen  had  faded,  her  chil- 
dren, with  the  exception  of  Mary,  had  died  in 
early  infancy,  and  there  was  now  little  hope  that 
she  would  bear  a  male  heir  to  the  crown,  and 
moreover  the  king  had  fallen  in  love  with  one  of 
the  Maids  of  Honor,  a  very  beautiful  lady  by  the 
name  of  Anne  Boleyn  ;  these  were  the  real  rea- 
sons which  determined  the  unprincipled  monarch 
to  apply  to  the  Pope  for  a  dissolution  of  his  mar- 
riage. 

Clement  VIII.,  who  then  filled  the  papal  chair, 
would,  probably,  at  any  other  time,  have  readily 
granted  the  request  of  a  servant  so  powerful 
and  faithful  as  the  king  of  England.  But  at 
the  time  it  was  made,  he  was  the  prisoner  of 
the  emperor  of  Germany,  Catherine's  nephew, 
14* 


162    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

and  in  no  condition  to  run  the  risk  of  offending 
his  captor.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to  prolong 
the  suit  of  Henry,  since,  as  he  said,  "  Whilst  it 
depended  he  was  sure  of  two  great  friends,  but 
when  it  should  be  decided  of  one  great  foe." 
The  most  that  could  be  obtained  from  the  Pope 
was  a  commission  appointing  the  Cardinals  Wol- 
sey  and  Campeggio  his  legates  to  examine  the 
validity  of  the  marriage. 

These  ecclesiastics  opened  their  court  at  Lon- 
don, and  cited  the  king  and  queen  to  appear 
before  them.  Both  parties  were  present ;  when 
their  names  were  called  the  king  answered,  but 
the  queen  left  her  seat  and  kneeling  down  before 
Henry,  thus  addressed  him  ;  —  "  She  was  a  poor 
woman,"  she  said,  "  and  a  stranger  in  his  do- 
minions, where  she  could  neither  expect  good 
counsel,  nor  indifferent  judges ;  she  had  been 
long  his  wife,  and  desired  to  know  wherein  she 
had  offended  him  ;  she  had  been  his  wife  twenty 
years  and  more,  and  had  borne  him  several 
children,  and  had  ever  studied  to  please  him. 
If  she  had  done  any  thing  amiss,  she  was  willing 
to  be  put  away  with  shame.  Their  parents  were 
esteemed  very  wise  princes,  and  no  doubt  had  good 
counsellors  and  learned  men  about  them  when 
the  match  was  agreed ;  therefore  she  would  not 
submit  to  the  Court,  nor  durst  her  lawyers,  who 
were  his  subjects,  and  assigned  by  him,  speak 


CARDINAL    WOLSEY.  163 

freely  for  her.  So  she  desired  to  be  excused  till 
she  heard  from  Spain."  Having  ended  this  ap- 
peal, Catherine  left  the  Court  and  would  never 
after  appear  for  trial. 

Notwithstanding  the  departure  of  the  queen, 
the  legates  continued  the  examination  of  the  case. 
The  trial  was  protracted  to  a  great  length,  and 
when  it  was,  at  length,  drawing  towards  a  close, 
and  at  the  very  moment  when  Henry  expected  a 
decision  favorable  to  his  wishes,  Campeggio,  who 
understood  the  policy  of  the  Pope,  suddenly  ad- 
journed the  court ;  an  order  soon  after  arrived 
from  Rome,  commanding  him  to  stop  all  further 
proceedings. 

Henry  was  greatly  disappointed  at  this  result, 
and  full  of  anger  against  the  Pope  and  his  legates. 
Wolsey,  who  had  heretofore  been  a  favorite,  was 
selected  as  the  first  victim  of  the  king's  resent- 
ment, and  from  this  period  is  to  be  dated  his 
rapid  downfall.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  Cardi- 
nal is  too  instructive  and  shows  too  clearly, 

"  How  wretched 
Is  that  poor  man  that  hangs  on  princes'  favors," 

to  be  passed  over  without  notice. 

Thomas  Wolsey,  the  son,  as  is  generally  sup- 
poxsed,  of  a  butcher,  was  born  at  Ipswich  in  1471. 
He  obtained  a  learned  education  and  was  made 
master  of  a  grammar  school,  where  he  taught 


164        SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

the  sons  of  a  nobleman  who  presented  him  with 
the  living  of  Limmington  in  Somersetshire. 
Whilst  a  clergyman  he  was  loose  in  his  manners, 
and  was  once  put  into  the  stocks  for  drunken- 
ness. Shrewd  and  ambitious  he  continued  to 
advance  himself  in  the  world,  and  to  be  intro- 
duced to  the  notice  of  Henry  VII.,  with  whom 
he  soon  became  a  favorite.  What  were  the 
qualities  by  which  he  obtained  the  royal  favor, 
may  be  inferred  from  an  anecdote  related  by 
Hume,  in  his  History  of  England.  The  king 
having  given  him  a  commission  to -Maximilian, 
Emperor  of  Germanny  then  residing  at  Brussels, 
was  surprised,  in  less  than  three  days  after,  to 
see  him  at  court,  and  supposing  he  had  not  yet 
departed  on  his  errand,  began  to  censure  his 
delay.  Wolsey  informed  him  that  he  had  just 
returned  from  his  mission.  "  But  on  second 
thoughts,"  said  the  king,  "  I  found  somewhat 
was  omitted  in  your  orders  and  have  sent  a  mes- 
senger after  you  with  further  instructions."  "  I 
met  the  messenger,"  replied  Wolsey,  "  on  my 
return  ;  but  as  I  had  reflected  upon  that  omis- 
sion, I  ventured  of  myself  to  execute  what  I 
knew  must  be  your  majesty's  intentions." 

On  the  death  of  Henry  VI L,  the  prospects  of 
Wolsey  were  for  a  time  clouded ;  but  he  was 
soon  presented  to  the  new  king,  and  by  a  ready 
compliance  with  his  humors  rose  to  be  his  chief 


CARDINAL  WOLSEY  165 

counsellor.     Honors  and  offices  were  heaped  up- 
on him  without  measure;   and  his  ambition  and 
extravagance  increased  with  his  wealth  and  pow- 
er.    He  obtained  the  direction  of  most  of  the 
affairs  of  the  kingdom,  and  being  advanced  by 
the  united  gifts  of  the   Pope  and  the  King  to  the 
highest  places  in  church  and  state,  he  was  flatter- 
ed and  caressed  by  all  who  sought  promotion  or 
favor  at  court ;  even  foreign  princes  kept  him  in 
pay,  that  he  might  aid  their  interests  with  his 
sovereign.     Thus  honored  and  enriched,  Wolsey 
was,  as  Archbishop  Warham  once  said,  "  drunk 
with  too  much  prosperity."     His  style  of  living 
rivalled  that  of  royalty  itself.     He  was  waited 
upon  by  a  train  of  eight  hundred  servants,  some 
of  whom  were  children  of  the  nobility.     He  strove 
to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the  populace,  by  the  splen- 
dor of  his  equipages  and  furniture,  the  costliness 
of  his  liveries  and  the  lustre  of  his  apparel.     Not 
only  his  own  habit,  but  the  saddles  and  trappings 
of  his  horses  shone  with  silk  and  gold.     When 
he    attended   the   royal   chapel,  two  tall  priests 
walked  before  him  carrying  silver  crosses  ;  and 
his  cardinal's  hat  was  always  borne  by  some  per- 
son of  rank  and  placed  upon  the  altar. 

The  administration  of  Wolsey  was  not  without 
its  benefits  to  the  kingdom.  But  his  enormous 
wealth,  his  exorbitant  demands,  and  his  haughty 
bearing  raised  up  many  enemies  and  rendered 


166   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

his  station  by  no  means  enviable.  His  greatness, 
too,  depended  upon  the  will  of  a  capricious  mon- 
arch, and,  in  the  sequel,  it  appeared  that  he  had 
ascended  to  the  height  of  power,  to  be  dashed 
down  again,  as  it  were,  from  a  precipice.  Wol- 
sey  coveted  the  papal  chair,  and  his  efforts  to 
obtain  it  involved  him  in  many  foreign  intrigues, 
and  caused  his  fidelity  to  his  sovereign,  in  the 
affair  of  the  divorce,  to  be  suspected.  At  any  rate, 
Henry  was  led  at  this  time,  as  we  have  already 
remarked,  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  the  Cardinal; 
and  soon  after  the  court  held  by  the  legates  was 
broken  up,  his  disgrace  began. 

The  office  of  Chancellor  was  taken  from  him 
and  given  to  Sir  Thomas  More.  His  other  hon- 
ors were  stript  off,  one  by  one,  and  after  a  while 
his  enemies  so  far  prevailed  with  the  king,  that 
he  was  called  upon  to  answer  to  the  charge  of 
high  treason.  The  Cardinal  was  so  cast  down 
at  this,  that  on  his  journey  from  the  place  where 
he  had  been  kept  in  retirement  to  London,  he 
was  taken  sick  and  died  at  Leicester,  November 
28,  1530.  His  last  words,  as  weli  as  his  whole 
career,  were  a  significant  comment  on  the  poor 
rewards  of  an  inordinate  ambition;  "Had  I," 
said  he,  "  but  served  my  God  as  diligently  as  I 
have  served  my  king,  He  would  not  have  given 
me  over  in  my  grey  hairs." 


MARRIAGE  OF  ANNE  BOLEYN.     167 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  legatine  court 
Henry,  although  still  determined  to  effect  his 
purpose,  was  at  loss  exactly  what  course  to  pur- 
sue. While  he  was  thus  in  doubt,  Thomas 
Cranmer,  a  fellow  of  one  of  the  colleges  at  Cam- 
bridge, fell  in  company  with  two  of  the  royal 
secretaries,  and  some  conversation  having  taken 
place  in  regard  to  the  legality  of  the  king's  mar- 
riage, he  suggested  the  propriety  of  applying  to 
the  universities  of  Europe  for  their  opinion  upon 
this  point.  This  hint  was  immediately  reported 
to  Henry,,  who  received  it  with  joy,  and  declared 
in  his  rough  way,  that  "  the  fellow  had  got  the 
sow  by  the  right  ear." 

The  proposed  application  was  made,  and  most 
of  the  universities,  both  at  home  and  on  the 
continent,  returned  answers  favorable  to  the 
wishes  of  the  king.  Armed  with  this  new  au- 
thority, Henry  again  presented  his  suit  at  Rome, 
but  without  success.  At  last  the  impatient  and 
self-willed  monarch  would  no  longer  be  trifled 
with.  Resting  upon  the  decision  of  the  univer- 
sities as  his  justification,  he  resolved  to  defy  the 
Pope  and  was  privately  married  to  Anne  Boleyn, 
January  25,  1532. 

Notwithstanding  this  new  union,  Catherine 
refused  to  resign  her  claims.  To  punish  her 
firmness,  Cranmer,  now  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, was  directed  to  examine  once  more  the 


168    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

validity  of  her  marriage.  The  prelate  held  his 
court  near  the  queen's  residence;  but  as  she- 
still  refused  to  appear,  she  was  declared  to  be- 
contumacious  and  her  marriage  was  pronounced 
null  and  void.  This  decision  gave  great  offence 
at  Rome,  and  was  set  aside  by  the  Pope.  Cath- 
erine also  denied  its  justice,  and  continued  to 
require  from  her  attendants  the  honors  due  to  a 
queen,  until  her  death,  which  took  place  in  Jan- 
uary, 1536. 

The  quarrel  between  Henry  and  the  Pope  had 
now  reached  a  point  which  forbade  any  hope  of 
a  reconciliation  ;  and  therefore  the  former  was 
determined  to  put  an  end  to  the  authority  of  the 
latter,  in  his  dominions.  In  the  year  1534  he 
assembled  a  parliament,  by  whom  an  act  was 
passed  declaring  the  king  to  be  the  only  supreme 
head  of  the  English  church  ;  they  also  enacted  a 
law  by  which  the  sentence  of  Cranmer,  in  regard 
to  the  divorce  was  confirmed,  the  daughters  of 
Catherine  were  pronounced  illegitimate,  and  the 
offspring  of  Anne  Boleyn  made  heirs  to  the  crown. 
These  acts  were  well  received  by  the  people,  and 
the  oath  to  observe  them  was  readily  taken  by 
all  of  whom  it  was  required,  with  one  or  two 
important  exceptions,  which  we  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  notice  hereafter. 

The  boldness  of  Henry  and  the  proceedings 
of  his  parliament  were  faverable  to  the  Reforma- 


THOMAS    BILNEY.  169 

tion,  inasmuch  as  they  destroyed  the  Pope's  au- 
thority in  England.  It  must  not  be  supposed, 
however,  that  the  king  intended  to  aid  the  Re- 
formers, or  that  he  had  embraced  their  opinions. 
He  consulted  only  his  own  selfish  desires.  So 
far  as  the  pretensions  of  Popery  interfered  with 
the  gratification  of  his  passions,  he  was  ready  to 
resist  and  despise  them ;  but  he  still  hated  the 
doctrines  of  Luther.  This  fact  must  be  kept  in 
mind,  when  studying  the  ecclesiastical  history  of 
his  reign,  in  order  to  explain  the  contradiction 
apparent  throughout  it,  namely,  that  whilst  the 
king  was  constantly  treating  the  papal  power 
with  contempt,  he  was  slow  to  admit  any  changes 
in  doctrine  or  to  allow  any  great  freedom  of  in- 
quiry in  the  Church.  As  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  this  remark,  we  will  refer  to  one  or  two  cases 
of  cruel  persecution,  which  took  place  about  the 
time  Henry  began  to  trample  upon  the  commands 
of  the  Pope. 

One  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  sufferers,  was 
Thomas  Bilney.  The  perusal  of  a  Latin  copy 
of  the  New  Testament  first  opened  the  eyes  of 
this  clergyman  to  the  errors  of  his  creed,  and 
he  began  at  once  to  make  his  discoveries  public. 
He  was  soon  brought  to  trial.  Tonstal,  bishop 
of  London,  persuaded  him  to  abjure  his  heresies. 
But  from  that  hour,  Bilney's  conscience  allowed 
him  no  peace.  He  retired  to  Cambridge,  where 
15 


170    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

he  remained  for  two  years,  plunged  in  such  deep 
melancholy,  that  his  friends  were  afraid  to  leave 
him  alone.  At  last,  he  resolved  to  relieve  his 
troubled  spirit  and  to  repair  his  fault  by  boldly 
suffering  for  the  cause  he  had  once  deserted. 
He  left  Cambridge  and  went  into  the  county  of 
Norfolk,  and  preached  both  in  public  and  pri- 
vate. It  was  not  long  before  he  was  apprehended, 
cast  into  prison,  and  condemned  to  death.  The 
night  before  his  execution  he  ate  a  hearty  supper ; 
and  to  some  one,  who  expressed  pleasure  at  find- 
ing him  so  composed,  he  replied  :  "  I  follow  the 
example  of  those  who,  having  a  ruinous  house  to 
dwell  in,  hold  it  up  by  props  as  long  as  they 
may."  When  another  friend  observed  that  his 
agony  would  be  brief  and  God  would  support 
him,  —  Bilney  put  his  finger  several  times  into 
the  flame  of  the  candle,  saying;  "  That  he  well 
knew  what  a  pain  burning  was,  but  that  it  should 
only  consume  the  stubble  of  his  body,  and  that 
his  soul  should  be  purged  by  it ;  then  he  repeated 
the  text,  "  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire 
thou  shalt  not  be  burnt."  The  following  morn- 
ing, November  10,  1530,  he  was  led  out  to  a 
valley,  which,  from  being  so  frequently  used  as  a 
place  of  execution,  was  called  Lollards'  Pit,  and 
there  fastened  to  the  stake.  In  that  situation  he 
recited  the  Apostle's  creed  and  prayed  with  a 
firm  voice.  The  fire  was  then  kindled,  and  the 
devout  martyr  expired. 


WILLIAM  TINDAL.  171 

Another  victim,  whose  labors  and  sufferings 
deserve  mention,  was  William  Tindal.  He  de- 
clared his  opinions  wkli  sxich  freedom  that  he 
was  obliged  to  fly  to  Antwerp  for  safety.  While 
there,  he  labored,  in  conjunction  with  some  of 
his  companions  in  exile,  to  aid  the  Reformation 
by  translating  the  New  Testament  into  English. 
The  first  impression  of  this  was  issued  in  1526. 
The  bishop  of  London,  to  stop  its  spread,  bought 
up  the  larger  part  of  it,  and  had  it  publicly  burnt 
at  Cheapside.  His  zeal,  however,  only  increased 
the  evil.  The  destruction  of  the  sacred  volume 
excited  the  suspicions  of  the  people,  and  made 
them  more  curious  to  know  its  contents.  Tindal, 
who  had  connived  at  the  bishop's  purchase,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  money  necessary  to  print  a 
more  correct  version,  soon  sent  out  another  and 
larger  edition,  which  was  eagerly  sought  after 
and  read.  One  of  the  agents  engaged  in  circu- 
lating the  work  was  brought  before  the  Chancel- 
lor, who  promised  him  a  pardon,  provided  he 
would  tell  who  supported  the  publishers  at  Ant- 
werp. "  The  greatest  encouragement  they  had," 
the  man  answered,  "  was  from  the  bishop  of 
London,  who  had  bought  up  half  of  their  first 
impression."  .  Besides  his  efforts  to  circulate  the 
Scriptures,  Tindal  wrote  other  works  in  favor  of 
the  Reformation.  He  thus  made  himself  ex- 
ceedingly obnoxious  to  the  papists,,  who  left  no 


172   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

measures  untried  to  destroy  him.  They  at  last 
succeeded.  He  was  betrayed  by  one  Phillips, 
and  being  carried  before  the  Emperor's  Court  at 
Brussels,  was  condemned  and  burnt. 

These  were  not  solitary  instances  of  persecu- 
tion. Many  other  eminent  men  suffered  death. 
Poor  mechanics,  also,  were  condemned  for  her- 
esy ;  and  to  own  or  read  the  Bible  was  a  capital 
offence.  On  one  occasion,  the  Chancellor  of  the 
county  of  Winchester  would  not  allow  even  the 
dead  to  rest.  He  dug  up  and  burnt  the  body  of 
one  Tracy,  because,  in  making  his  will,  he  had 
deviated  from  the  usual  form,  and  "  bequeathed 
his  soul  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  in  whose 
intercession  alone  he  trusted,  without  the  help  of 
any  other  of  the  saints;  and  therefore  left  no 
part  of  his  goods  to  have  any  pray  for  his  soul." 


MINISTRY    OF    HENRY    VIII.  173 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CHARACTER  OF  HENRY'S  MINISTRY  — THE  MAUD  OF 
KENT  — BISHOP  FISHER  — SIR  THOMAS  MORE  — 
DEATH  OF  ANNE  BOLEYN.  1534-1536. 

IT  has  already  been  hinted  that  the  conduct  of 
Henry  VIII.,  in  religious  affairs,  was  shaped  by 
his  violent  and  capricious  passions.  At  one  time 
he  favored  the  principal  doctrines  of  the  Church, 
and  persecuted  all  who  called  them  in  question, 
while  at  another  he  denied  the  supremacy  of  the 
Pope,  and  compelled  his  subjects,  on  pain  of' 
death,  to  do  so  likewise.  This  arbitrary  course 
on  the  part  of  the  king,  was  the  cause  of  sudden 
and  violent  changes  in  the  administration  of  the 
government.  His  ministry  was  composed  of  men 
of  both  religious  parties.  Cranmer  and  Crom- 
wel,  formerly  a  secretary  of  Wolsey,  were  dis- 
posed to  countenance  a  reform,  while  Gardiner, 
bishop  of  Winchester,  a  shrewd  and  wicked  man, 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and  others  in  connexion 
with  them,  were  opposed  to  the  Lutheran  heresy. 
Neither  of  these  patties,  however,  dared  to 
thwart  the  will  of  their  sovereign,  but  yielded 
servilely  to  his  tyrannical  measures.  As  long  as 
Anne  Boleyn  retained  the  affections  of  her  hus- 
band, the  Protestants,  to  whose  opinion  she  was 
15* 


174    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

inclined,  maintained  the  ascendancy.  This  fact 
is  visible  in  the  laws  which,  as  before  stated, 
were  passed  in  opposition  to  Rome.  It  is  also 
visible  in  the  execution  of  those  laws  upon  men, 
whose  friends  were  but  lately  the  agents  of  a 
bloody  persecution. 

The  monks,  who  were  averse  to  the  late  mar- 
riage, tried  to  prevent  it  by  craft  and  by  an 
appeal  to  the  superstition  of  the  people.  They 
encouraged  Elizabeth  Barton,  a  nun  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Kent,  who  had  been  subject  to  fits  which 
threw  her  body  into  convulsions,  to  feign  revela- 
tions and  to  utter  prophecies.  Among  other 
predictions,  she  asserted  that  if  Henry  married 
another  wife  he  should  not  be  king  a  month 
longer,  but  should  die  the  death  of  a  villain. 
Many  persons  were  induced  to  put  faith  in  this 
declaration ;  and  the  plot,  the  design  of  which 
was  to  alienate  the  minds  of  his  subjects  from 
the  king  and  to  excite  them  to  rebellion,  prom- 
ised to  be,  to  some  extent,  successful.  It  was, 
however,  discovered,  and  some  of  the  principal 
men  in  the  kingdom,  supposed  to  be  concerned 
in  the  conspiracy,  were  cast  into  prison. 

One  of  these  was  John  Fisher,  bishop  of  Roches- 
ter, a  prelate  of  great  learning  and  good  charac- 
ter, who  had  enjoyed  the  favor  of  the  king.  He 
was  conscientious  in  his  adherence  to  the  Romish 
Church,  and  had  been  active  in  the  punishment 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE.  175 

of  its  enemies.  Having  been  suspected  of  coun- 
tenancing the  treasonable  speeches  of  Elizabeth 
Barton,  he  was  advised  by  Cromwel  to  sue  for 
pardon.  This  Fisher  refused  to  do,  and  was,  in 
consequence,  stript  of  his  property  and  otherwise 
punished.  Afterward  he  was  committed  to  the 
Tower,  charged  with  denying  the  supremacy  of 
the  king.  While  he  lay  in  prison,  with  nothing  but 
rags  to  cover  his  nakedness,  the  Pope  proposed 
to  send  him  a  Cardinal's  hat ;  when  Henry  heard 
that  Fisher  would  not  refuse  the  offered  dignity, 
he  exclaimed  in  a  rage;  "Yea?  is  he  so  lusty? 
Well,  let  the  Pope  send  him  a  hat  when  he  will. 
He  shall  wear  it  on  his  shoulders,  for  I  will  leave 
him  never  a  head  to  set  it  on."  The  destruction 
of  the  bishop  was  thus  resolved  on.  Being  en- 
trapped into  a  positive  denial  of  the  king's  su- 
premacy, he  was  tried,  condemned  to  death,  and 
beheaded  June  22d,  1535,  being  at  that  time 
nearly  eighty  years  of  age. 

Another  individual,  who  suffered  about  this 
time,  was  Sir  Thomas  More.  This  nobleman 
holds  so  high  a  rank  among  the  illustrious  men 
of  England,  that  a  brief  account  of  his  life  and 
character  will  not  be  esteemed  an  improper  di- 
gression, especially  €s  the  subject  of  this  Sketch 
compels  us  to  dwell,  more  than  we  could  other- 
wise wish,  upon  the  less  worthy  advocates  of  the 
papal  system. 


176   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

Sir  Thomas  More,  the  son  of  Sir  John  More, 
a  judge  of  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  was  born 
in  London  in  the  year  1480.  He  received  the 
first  rudiments  of  education  at  a  free  grammar 
school  in  the  city.  The  custom  then  prevailed 
of  placing  boys  in  the  families  of  men  of  rank, 
that  they  might  be  improved  by  the  conversation 
of  their  superiors,  and  acquire  the  manners  suited 
to  their  station.  For  this  purpose  young  More 
resided  with  Cardinal  Morton,  then  the  king's 
(Henry  VII.)  prime  minister.  In  this  situation, 
the  sharp  and  lively  boy  gave  such  promise  of 
future  celebrity,  that  his  patron  would  often  speak 
of  him  to  his  guests  and  say  ;  "  This  child  here 
waiting  at  the  table,  whoever  shall  live  to  see  it, 
will  prove  a  marvellous  man."  In  1497,  More 
entered  the  University  of  Oxford.  On  leaving 
that  seminary  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  study 
of  law  and  literary  pursuits,  and  soon  became 
one  of  the  best  lawyers  and  most  eminent  scholars 
of  his  day. 

At  one  period,  Sir  Thomas  thought  seriously 
of  entering  a  monastery ;  but  being  of  a  social 
disposition  he  abandoned  the  project  and  began 
to  look  for  a  partner.  The  manner  of  his  wooing, 
as  described  by  one  of  his^:tider  biographers,  is 
quite  amusing.  "  He  resorted  to  the  house  of 
one  Master  Holt,  a  gentleman  of  Essex,  who 
had  often  invited  him  thither  ;  having  three 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE.  177 

daughters,  whose  honest  conversation  and  vir- 
tuous education  provoked  him  there  especially  to 
set  his  affections.  And  albeit  his  mind  most 
served  to  the  second  daughter,  for  that  he  thought 
her  the  fairest  and  best  favored,  yet  when  he 
considered  that  it  would  be  both  grief,  and  some 
shame  also,  to  the  eldest,  to  see  her  younger 
sister  preferred  before  her  in  marriage,  he  then 
of  a  certain  pity  framed  his  fancy  toward  her, 
and  soon  after  married  her/'  Erasmus,  the 
scholar,  who  was  the  intimate  friend  of  More, 
gives  an  ingenious  account  of  this  match.  "  He 
(More)  wedded  a  very  young  girl  of  respectable 
family,  but  who  had  hitherto  lived  in  the  country 
with  her  parents  arid  sisters  ;  and  was  so  un- 
educated, that  he  could  mould  her  to  his  own 
tastes  and  manners.  He  caused  her  to  be  in- 
structed in  letters ;  and  she  became  a  very  skilful 
musician,  which  peculiarly  pleased  him."  The 
junion  thus  formed  was  short  in  its  duration. 
Mrs.  More  died  young,  leaving  a  son  and  three 
daughters  ;  one  of  the  latter,  Margaret,  inherited 
her  father's  features  and  genius,  and  was  his 
favorite  child. 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Sir 
Thomas  More  married  Alice  Middleton,a  widow, 
seven  years  older  than  himself.  This  lady  was 
"  of  no  good  favor  or  complexion,  not  rich,  and  by 
disposition  near  and  worldly.  Her  husband  treated 


178    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

her,  and  indeed  most  females,  except  his  daugh* 
ter  Margaret,  gs  better  qualified  to  relish  a  jest, 
than  take  a  part  in  more  serious  conversation  ; " 
an  apparent  want  of  gallantry  and  good  taste,  to 
be  accounted  for,  probably,  by  the  low  standard 
of  female  education  at  that  day,  —  for  all  his 
biographers  agree  in  representing  him  as  remark- 
able for  the  social  virtues.  He  won  his  wife's 
obedience  by  kindness  and  pleasantry,  and  ruled 
his  whole  family  with  his  gentleness.  The  pic- 
ture given  of  his  domestic  life  is  beautiful.  His 
custom  was,  beside  private  prayers  with  his 
children,  to  go  daily  with  his  wife  and  the  rest 
of  his  household  to  his  chaps],  and  there  hold  a 
religious  service.  "  With  him,"  says  Erasmus, 
"  you  might  imagine  yourself  in  the  Academy  of 
Plato.  But  I  should  do  injustice  to  his  house  by 
comparing  it  to  the  Academy  of  Plato,  where 
numbers  and  geometrical  figures,  and  sometimes 
moral  virtues  were  the  subjects  of  discussion ;  it 
would  be  more  just  to  call  it  a  school  and  exer- 
cise of  the  Christian  religion.  All  its  inhabi- 
tants, male  or  female,  applied  their  leisure  to 
liberal  studies  and  profitable  reading,  although 
piety  was  their  first  care.  No  wrangling  nor 
angry  word  was  heard  in  it ;  no  one  was  idle ; 
every  one  did  his  duty  with  alacrity,  and  not 
without  a  temperate  cheerfulness."  More  laid 
great  stress  upon  the  pleasures  and  duties  of 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE.  179 

home.  In  one  of  his  works  he  remarks ;  — 
"  While  in  pleading,  in  hearing,  in  deciding 
causes,  or  composing  differences,  in  waiting  on 
some  man  about  business,  and  on  others  out  of 
respect,  the  greatest  part  of  the  day  is  spent  on 
other  men's  affairs,  the  remainder  of  it  must  be 
given  to  my  family  at  home.  I  must  talk  with 
my  wife,  and  chat  with  my  children,  and  I  have 
somewhat  to  say  to  my  servants;  for  all  these 
things  I  reckon  as  a  part  of  my  business  ;  except 
a  man  will  resolve  to  be  a  stranger  at  home ;  and 
with  whomsoever  either  nature,  chance,  or  choice 
has  engaged  a  man  in  any  commerce,  he  must 
endeavour  to  make  himself  as  acceptable  to  those 
about  him  as  he  can."  How  pleasant  to  find  the 
great  statesman  and  scholar  so  true  to  the  more 
private,  but  by  no  means  least  important  relations 
of  life! 

In  his  religion  Sir  Thomas  was  a  strict  Catholic, 
although,  for  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  very  free 
from  bigotry  and  opposed  to  all  persecution. 
Alarmed  at  the  spread  of  the  Lutheran  doctrines, 
and  what  seemed  to  him  the  rude  attacks  made 
upon  the  true  faith,  he  conscientiously  employed 
his  pen  in  the  defence  of  the  Romish  Church. 

To  this  sketch  of  More's  private  life  and  char- 
acter we  will  add  a  description  of  his  person  and 
habits,  when  he  was  about  forty  years  of  age. 
Although  not  tall  his  limbs  were  of  good  propor- 


180    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

tion.  His  complexion  was  fair,  his  hair  of  a 
yellowish-brown,  his  beard  thin,  and  his  eyes 
of  a  greyish  hue.  His  pleasant  countenance 
beamed  with  an  expression  of  good  humor.  His 
dress  was  plain ;  he  never  wore  purple  or  gold, 
except  when  it  was  required  of  him  as  a  public 
officer.  Simple  dishes  constituted  his  common 
food,  and  pure  water  was  his  usual  beverage. 
Fond  of  innocent  jests,  he  was  always  a  delight- 
ful companion,  and  had  he  consulted  his  inclina- 
tion, rather  than  his  duty,  he  probably  would 
have  lived  in  private,  and  been  the  beloved  centre 
of  a  circle  of  friends,  instead  of  being,  as  he  was, 
first  the  counsellor  and  then  the  victim  of  the 
cruel  Henry. 

Before  he  had  reached  his  twenty-third  year 
More  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons. 
The  king  (Henry  VII.)  applied  to  that  body  for 
a  grant  of  money,  for  purposes  which  were  very 
unpopular  ;  but  no  one,  except  young  More,  ven- 
tured openly  to  oppose  the  royal  demand.  He 
resisted  it  with  firmness,  and  by  his  eloquence 
and  arguments  procured  its  rejection.  For  this 
act  of  courage  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the 
king,  and  was  obliged  during  the  rest  of  his  reign 
to  live  in  retirement.  When  Henry  VIII.  ascend- 
ed the  throne,  More  resumed  his  practice  as  a 
lawyer,  and  soon  obtained  a  reputation  which 
attracted  the  attention  of  that  monarch.  In  1516 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE.  181 

he  was  made  a  privy  counsellor,  and  from  that 
time  he  was,  for  twenty  years,  employed  in  vari- 
ous offices  of  trust  and  honor. 

Henry  appeared  to  be  very  fond  of  Sir  Thomas, 
and  to  take  great  delight  iri  his  society;  so  much 
so  indeed  that  the  honor  became  burthensome, 
according  to  Roper,  who  says  that  when  his  fa- 
ther-in-law perceived  them,  (the  king  and  queen,) 
"  so  much  in  his  talk  to  delight,  that  he  could 
not  once  in  a  month  get  leave  to  go  home  to  his 
wife  and  children,  he,  much  misliking  this  re- 
straint upon  his  liberty,  began  thereupon  some- 
what to  dissemble  his  nature,  and  so  by  little 
and  little  from  his  former  mirth  to  disuse  himself, 
that  he  was  of  them  from  thenceforth,  at  such 
seasons,  no  more  so  ordinarily  sent  for." 

When  the  favorite  obtained  leisure  to  visit  his 
family,  who  resided  at  Chelsea,  the  king  used 
frequently  to  follow  him,  and  drop  in  at  dinner 
time  without  an  invitation,  or,  leaning  familiarly 
upon  his  shoulder,  walk  and  talk  with  him  in  the 
garden.  But,  notwithstanding  these  flattering 
attentions,  More  was  not  blind  to  the  dangerous 
character  of  his  sovereign  ;  —  for  once,  when 
Roper  congratulated  him  upon  his  intimacy  with 
the  king,  he  replied  ;  "  I  thank  our  Lord,  son,  I 
find  his  grace  my  very  good  lord  indeed,  and  I 
believe  he  doeth  as  singularly  favor  me  as  any 
other  subject  within  his  realm  ;  howbeit,  son 
16 


182   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFOKMAT1ON. 

Roper,  I  may  tell  thee,  I  have  no  cause  to  be 
proud  thereof;  for  if  my  head  would  win  him  a 
castle  in  France,  when  there  was  war  between 
us,  it  should  not  fail  to  go." 

Upon  the  disgrace  of  Wolsey,  Sir  Thomas  More 
was  made,  in  1529,  Lord  Chancellor.  This  was 
one  of  the  highest  officers  in  the  kingdom.  He 
was  a  legal  magistrate  and  a  member  of  the 
king's  council,  and  was  appointed  by  intrusting 
to  his  keeping  the  great  seal,  which,  in  days  when 
even  princes  were  unable  to  write,  used  to  be 
affixed  to  public  documents,  instead  of  the  royal 
signature.  More  received  this  new  honor  with 
reluctance,  and  in  his  high  station  preserved  his 
simplicity  and  mildness  of  character  and  man- 
ners. It  is  said  that  every  day  before  he  attend- 
ed to  business  and  when  arrayed  in  his  robes  of 
office,  he  asked  on  his  knees  the  blessing  of  his 
venerable  father.  His  predecessor  had  held  his 
court  with  great  pomp,  so  that  no  application 
could  reach  him  without  passing  through  many 
hands.  Sir  Thomas  More,  on  the  contrary,  sat 
daily  in  an  open  hall  to  receive  in  person  the 
petitions  of  the  poor,  and  attended  with  the  strict- 
est integrity  to  the  administration  of  justice. 

Henry  had  made  More  his  Chancellor  in  the 
hope  of  obtaining  his  service  in  the  affair  of  the 
divorce ;  in  this  he  was  disappointed.  More  saw 
the  injustice  of  that  measure,  and  when  he  found 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE.  183 

that  it  would  be  executed,  resigned  the  great  seal. 
The  king  neither  forgot  nor  forgave  this  act  of 
honest  independence ;  and  not  long  afterwards 
he  came  to  the  determination,  that  his  old  favorite 
should  submit  to  his  wishes  or  feel  his  vengeance. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  involve  Sir  Thomas  in 
the  conspiracy  connected  with  the  Maid  of  Kent ; 
from  this  charge,  he,  however,  cleared  himself. 
When  the  act,  declaring  the  legality  of  Henry's 
union  with  Anne  Boleyn  was  passed,  More  was 
commanded  to  appear  before  the  Commissioners, 
April  13,  1534,  and  take  the  prescribed  oath  to 
obey  it.  This  summons  he  immediately  an- 
swered. When  he  came  into  the  presence  of 
the  Commissioners,  he  said  he  was  willing  to 
swear  to  maintain  the  order  of  succession  to  the 
throne,  as  fixed  by  the  Parliament ;  but  he  firmly 
refused  the  prescribed  oath,  which  declared  the 
marriage  of  Catherine  to  have  been  illegal,  — 
a  fact  his  conscience  would  not  allow  him  to 
admit.  His  friends  endeavoured,  but  without 
success,  to  do  away  his  scruples.  They  then 
urged  the  king  to  be  satisfied  with  More's  readi- 
ness to  engage  to  maintain  the  order  of  succes- 
sion, without  insisting  upon  his  assent  to  the  form 
of  the  oath  ;  but  here  also  they  labored  in  vain. 
Resistance  had  made  Henry's  resentment  wholly 
ungovernable,  and  forgetting  all  his  former  ser- 
vices, and  the  affection  he  had  professed  for  him, 


184    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

he  ordered  the  Ex-Chancellor  to  be  committed  to 
the  Tower. 

After  an  imprisonment  of  more  than  a  year, 
Sir  Thomas,  supporting  his  enfeebled  frame  with 
his  staff,  but  with  a  firm  and  animated  counte- 
nance, was  brought  for  trial  to  Westminster 
Hall.  As  his  fate  had  already  been  decided,  he 
was  soon  found  guilty  of  high  treason  and  con- 
demned to  die  as  a  traitor.  When  this  sentence 
was  pronounced,  the  noble  prisoner  turned  to  his 
judges  and  said ;  "  My  Lords,  I  have  nothing 
further  to  add,  but  that  as  the  blessed  Apostle 
Paul  was  present  and  consented  unto  the  death 
of  Stephen,  and  yet  both  are  now  holy  saints  in 
heaven,  where  they  shall  continue  in  friendship 
for  ever,  so  I  earnestly  trust  and  pray,  that, 
though  your  lordships  have  now  been  judges  on 
earth  of  my  condemnation,  we  may  yet  all  meet 
together  in  everlasting  love  arid  happiness/' 

The  closing  scenes  of  More's  life  are  thus 
described  in  Macdiarmid's  "  Lives  of  British 
Statesmen." 

"  On  his  return  from  Westminster  Hall  to  the 
Tower,  his  fortitude  had  to  undergo  a  severe 
trial.  His  favorite  daughter,  Margaret,  appre- 
hending that  this  might  be  the  last  opportunity  of 
seeing  her  beloved  father,  had  stationed  herself 
at  the  Tower  wharf,  where  he  would  necessarily 
pass :  but  when  he  appeared  in  sight,  with  the 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE.  185 

axe,  the  emblem  of  condemnation,  borne  before 
him,  her  feelings  could  no  longer  be  controlled ; 
regardless  of  the  spectators  she  burst  through 
the  crowd,  and  through  the  guards  which  sur- 
rounded him,  and,  clinging  round  his  neck, 
hung  upon  him  in  an  agony  of  despair ;  the  only 
words  that  could  force  an  utterance  were,  "my 
father  !  oh,  my  father  !  "  More,  while  he  pressed 
her  to  his  heart,  endeavoured  to  calm  her  agita- 
tion; he  reminded  her,  that  she  well  knew  the 
secrets  of  his  soul ;  that  the  knowledge  of  his 
innocence  ought  to  lessen  her  dismay  at  his  ap- 
proaching  fate,  and  .that  resignation  was  due  to 
the  will  of  God,  without  whose  permission  none 
of  these  events  could  take  place.  At  length  she 
made  an  effort  to  recover  herself,  and  faintly 
bidding  him  adieu,  suffered  the  attendants  to 
lead  her  away.  But  she  had  proceeded  only  a 
few  paces,  when  the  thought  that  she  had  seen 
her  father  for  the  last  time,  rushed  with  irresis- 
tible poignancy  on  her  mind.  She  again  burst 
through  the  crowd,  again  hung  upon  his  neck, 
and  gave  way  to  all  the  bitterness  of  anguish. 
Her  father,  though  his  mind  had  long  been  pre- 
pared to  meet  his  fate,  and  though  its  approach 
had  been  wholly  unable  to  discompose  his  forti- 
tude, could  not  look  unmoved  on  her  distress  ; 
and  a  tear,  which  stole  down  his  cheek,  betrayed 
the  emotion  which  he  struggled  to  conceal.  The 
16* 


186    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

spectators,  deeply  affected,  beheld  this  tender 
scene  in  silence  ;  and  even  the  guards  could  not 
refrain  from  tears,  while  they  gently  forced  her 
from  the  arms  of  her  father." 

"  His  condemnation  had  taken  place  on  the 
1st  of  June ;  and  on  the  6th  of  the  same  month, 
Sir  Thomas  Pope,  one  of  his  particular  friends, 
came  very  early  in  the  morning,  by  the  king's 
command,  to  acquaint  him  that  his  execution 
was  to  take  place  that  day,  at  nine  o'clock. 
More  thanked  his  friend  for  the  good  news ;  and 
observing  that  he  was  deeply  affected  with  the 
painful  commission  which  he  had  been  obliged 
to  execute,  he  endeavoured  to  convince  him,  by 
the  gaiety  of  his  conversation,  how  little  his  lot 
was  to  be  lamented ;  and,  when  his  friend  could 
not  refrain  from  weeping  bitterly  at  parting,  he 
reminded  him  with  a  look  of  exultation,  that  the 
interval  could  not  be  long  before  they  should 
meet  in  eternal  felicity." 

"  As  he  passed  along  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, on  Tower  Hill,  the  sympathy  o^  the  specta- 
tors was  expressed  by  silence  and  tears.  One 
man  alone,  from  among  the  crowd,  was  heard  to 
reproach  him  with  a  decision  which  he  had  given 
against  him  in  Chancery.  More,  no  wise  dis- 
composed by  this  ill-timed  expression  of  resent- 
ment, calmly  replied,  that,  if  it  were  still  to  do 
he  would  give  the  same  decision." 


SIR    THOMAS    MORE. 


187 


"  His  behaviour  on  the  scaffold  corresponded 
to  the  whole  tenor  of  his  conduct;  perfectly 
composed  and  collected,  and  dying  in  harmony 
with  all  mankind,  his  countenance  was  unaffect- 
edly cheerful,  and  his  words  expressed  a  mind 
well  at  ease.  Perceiving  that  the  scaffolding 
was  weakly  erected,  he  said,  in  his  usual  tone, 
to  the  attending  officer,  '  I  pray  thee,  friend, 
see  me  safely  up,  and  for  my  coming  down,  let 
me  shift  for  myself.'  Observing  the  executioner 
pale  and  trembling,  he  said  to  him,  <  Pluck  up 
thy  spirits,  man,  and  be  not  afraid  to  do  thy 
office ;  my  neck  is  very  short ;  see,  therefore, 
that  thou  do  not  mar  thy  credit  by  cutting 
awry.'  Having  spent  a  short  time  in  devotion, 
he  took  the  napkin  with  which  his  eyes  were  to 
be  bound,  and  calmly  performed  that  office  for 
himself;  then  laying  his  head  on  the  block,  he 
bade  the  executioner  stay,  till  he  removed  his 
beard ;  '  for  it,'  said  he,  '  has  committed  no  trea- 
son.' 

"  Thus  perished  Sir  Thomas  More,  in  the 
fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  deeply  lamented  by 
all  who  knew  his  worth,  and  admired  even  by 
his  enemies.  By  those  who  knew  him  best,  and 
who  shared  his  intimate  friendship,  his  loss  was 
bewailed  as  an  irreparable  calamity.  '  More  is 
dead  ! '  says  Erasmus,  in  the  accents  of  despon- 
dency, '  More !  whose  breast  was  purer  than 


188    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

snow,  whose  genius  was  excellent  above  all  his 
nation.'  " 

About  a  year  after  the  death  of  More,  another 
tragical  scene  was  enacted  to  gratify  the  capri- 
cious and  cruel  temper  of  Henry  VIII.  Having 
fallen  in  love  with  another  lady,  the  king  began 
to  grow  tired  of  Anne  Boleyn.  This  was  per- 
ceived by  the  popish  party  at  court,  who  eagerly 
made  use  of  it  to  increase  their  own  power  and 
to  destroy  the  Queen.  Her  gay  and  thought- 
less disposition  gave  some  appearance  of  truth  to 
the  stories  by  which  the  jealousy  of  Henry  was 
so  excited,  that  he  determined  to  satisfy  his  rage 
and  make  way  for  the  gratification  of  his  new 
passion,  by  the  death  of  a  wife,  —  to  obtain  whom 
he  had  defied  the  authority  of  the  Pope  and  the 
resentment  of  Charles  V.,  the  most  powerful 
prince  in  Europe.  She  was  brought  to  trial  and 
condemned  upon  evidence,  altogether  insufficient 
to  sustain  the  charges  preferred  against  her. 
Anne  met  her  fate  with  resignation.  While 
confined  in  the  Tower  she  endeavoured  to  make 
amends  for  her  past  errors.  Her  conscience 
reproached  her  for  having  treated  Mary,  the 
daughter  of  Catherine,  with  too  much  severity. 
The  day  before  she  suffered  she  called  the  lady  of 
the  lieutenant  of  the  Tower,  and  falling  upon 
her  knees,  charged  her,  with  many  tears,  to  go 
to  the  princess,  and,  in  the  same  humble  posture, 


DEATH  OF  ANNE  BOLEYN.       189 

ask,  in  her  name,  forgiveness  for  the  wrong  she 
had  done  her.  Anne  also  sent  a  message  to  the 
king,  in  which  she  declared  her  innocence,  and 
commended  her  daughter  Elizabeth  to  his  care  ; 
she  concluded  with  saying,  "  that  having  from 
a  private  gentlewoman  made  her  first  a  mar- 
chioness and  then  a  queen,  he  now,  since  he 
could  raise  her  no  higher  on  earth  was  about 
to  send  her  to  heaven."  On  the  19th  of  May 
the  queen  was  beheaded,  by  an  executioner  sent 
for  from  France,  because  he  was  more  expert  than 
any  in  England.  The  next  day  the  shameless 
and  cruel  king  married  Jane  Seymour  ! 


190    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  MONASTERIES  —  INSURREC- 
TIONS —  PILGRIMAGE  OF  GRACE  —  BIRTH  OF  ED- 
WARD AND  DEATH  OF  QUEEN  JANE  —  FURTHER 
DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  MONASTERIES  —  MIRACLES 
AND  RELICS  —  THOMAS  A  BECKET  —  EXCOMMUNI- 
CATION OF  HENRY  VIII.  1535-1538. 

HENRY  VIII.  was  not  content  with  making 
himself  the  supreme  head  of  the  English  Church. 
Prompted,  in  part,  by  the  advice  of  those  coun- 
sellors friendly  to  the  Reformation,  but  still  more 
by  his  own  rapacity,  he  now  determined  to  strike 
another  blow  at  popery  in  his  dominions,  by  the 
destruction  of  the  Monasteries. 

Various  causes  contributed  to  the  introduction, 
at  an  early  period,  into  the  church,  of  that  pas- 
sion for  a  secluded  and  ascetic  life,  to  which  is 
to  be  referred  the  establishment  of  the  religious 
houses.  In  the  first  place,  the  warm  and  ener- 
vating climate  of  the  East,  where  Monastic 
institutions  had  their  origin,  is  said  to  produce  a 
disposition  to  indolence  and  melancholy,  and  a 
love  of  solitude.  This  propensity  was  augmented 
by  the  prevalence  of  doctrines  which  taught  that 
matter  was  the  source  of  all  evil,  and  conse- 
quently that  the  soul  would  be  purified  and 


MONASTERIES.  191 

exalted  by  the  mortification  of  the  body.  To  these 
must  be  added,  as  another  cause,  the  persecution 
to  which  the  early  Christians  were  exposed,  and 
by  which  many  were  compelled  to  retire  for 
safety  into  the  woods  and  caverns. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  centuries  Monas- 
teries and  Nunneries,  —  the  former  inhabited  by 
men  who  were  or  pretended  to  be  disgusted  with 
the  world,  the  latter  asylums  for  females  whose 
natural  protectors  had  perished  in  battle  or 
at  the  stake,  —  were  established  in  many  parts  of 
Christendom.  "  From  the  eighth  to  the  twelfth 
century,"  says  a  writer  in  the  Christian  Exami- 
ner, for  September,  1835,  "  these  institutions 
continued  to  multiply  astonishingly.  Multitudes 
flocked  to  them  of  all  ages,  conditions,  and  char- 

to       '  ' 

acters ;  some  from  devotion,  some  from  ambition, 
some  from  timidity,  some  from  remorse,  some 
because  they  were  weary  of  the  world,  and  some 
because  the  world  was  weary  of  them.  Children 
of  the  most  opulent  families,  ladies  of  the  highest 
fashion,  courtiers,  warriors,  nobles,  kings,  were 
of  the  number ;  and  they  did  not  go  empty 
handed.  Many  who  were  not  ready  to  give 
themselves,  gave  what  the  monks  were  quite 
willing  to  take  as  a  substitute,  their  money  or 
their  lands.  In  this  way  the  revenues  of  many 
of  the  communities  soon  became  enormous. 
The  humble  cabins,  which  sheltered  the  early 


192    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

monks,  were  exchanged  for  those  vast,  expensive, 
and  imposing  structures,  which  still  stand  in 
almost  every  European  country  as  the  proudest 
monuments  of  Gothic  wealth  and  taste;  arid 
their  territorial  possessions  also  soon  began  to 
rival  those  of  the  most  powerful  barons.  More- 
over, in  process  of  time,  the  cloister  began  to  be 
regarded  as  being,  what  indeed  it  was,  the  fairest 
and  most  direct  road  of  preferment  to  the  high- 
est dignities  in  the  church ;  nay,  for  a  long 
period,  even  to  the  highest  civil  employments, 
whether  as  regents,  foreign  envoys,  or  ministers 
of  state." 

The  establishments  thus  described  were  not 
without  their  good  effects.  They  were  the  only 
seminaries  of  learning  during  the  dark  ages ; 
and  in  their  libraries  were  preserved,  not  only 
the  manuscripts  of  the  ancient  Classics,  but  also 
those  of  the  Scriptures,  which  might  otherwise 
have  been  lost  for  ever.  They  served  also  as 
retreats  for  the  widow  and  the  orphan;  they 
afforded  the  last  refuge,  in  those  days  of  war  and 
bloodshed,  for  virtue  and  religion  ;  they  supplied 
the  wants  of  the  poor,  and  opened  their  hospitable 
doors  to  the  weary  traveller.  Some  of  the  Monks 
contributed  to  the  improvement  of  agriculture  by 
their  diligent  cultivation  of  the  inferior  sorts  of 
land  usually  bestowed  upon  them,  whilst  others 
devoted  their  time  to  the  copying  of  books,  to 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  MONASTERIES.   193 

the  mechanic  arts,  and  to  different  kinds  of 
manufactures. 

Monastic  institutions,  however,  with  the  in- 
crease of  their  wealth,  which  was  heaped  upon 
them  by  superstitious  nobles  and  princes,  became 
corrupt.  Many  of  them  were  the  abodes  of  in- 
dolence, avarice,  and  licentiousness,  and  sup- 
ported in  idleness^  multitudes  of  men  and  women, 
who,  while  they  opposed  all  attempts  to  instruct 
the  people  and  to  purify  the  Church,  were  the 
willing  agents  of  wicked  popes  and  prelates. 
Accordingly,  those  establishments  were  selected 
among  the  first  objects  of  their  attack  by  the 
Reformers. 

In  England  Archbishop  Cranmer  advised  the 
dissolution  of  the  Monasteries,  and  that  their 
revenues  should  be  appropriated  to  the  education 
of  "the  clergy,  and  to  other  purposes  connected 
with  the  Reformation  of  the  Church.  The  first 
part  of  this  advice  was  immediately  followed  by 
the  king,  since  it  chimed  in  with  his  avaricious 
desires ;  the  latter  part  of  it,  with  his  usual  sel- 
fishness and  injustice,  he  took  care  to  neglect. 
In  1535  persons  were  appointed  to  visit  the 
religious  houses,  to  inquire  into  their  char- 
acter, and  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  their 
property.  These  Commissioners,  aware  of  the 
design  of  Henry,  colored  their  report  as  dark  as 
possible;  but,  after  making  a  proper  allowance 

17 


194    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

for  this  fact,  enough  remains  to  show  that  many 
of  the  Monasteries  were  very  corrupt,  and  their 
inmates  addicted  to  the  most  scandalous  vices. 
This  report  was  presented  to  Parliament,  and  a 
law  obtained  in  1536  by  which  three  hundred 
and  sixty-six  of  the  smaller  Monasteries  were 
dissolved  and  their  income  given  to  the  crown. 
By  this  act  ten  thousand  persons  were  turned  out 
of  their  homes  to  seek  employment,  having 
received  no  other  compensation,  than  a  shilling 
and  a  gown,  which  was  allowed  to  each  Monk. 

To  reconcile  his  subjects  to  this  arbitrary  pro- 
ceeding, the  king  bestowed  a  portion  of  the 
wealth  acquired  by  it,  upon  the  principal  nobles ; 
but  this  bribery  did 'not  entirely  prevent  disturb- 
ance. Many  of  the  clergy  and  many  of  the 
people  were  indignant  at  so  high-handed  a  meas- 
ure. Their  discontent  was  encouraged  and  kept 
alive  by  the  ejected  Monks,  who  wandered  over 
the  country,  denouncing  the  injustice  of  Henry, 
until  at  length  it  broke  forth  in  open  rebellion. 

The  first  rising  was  in  Lincolnshire,  in  the 
beginning  of  October,  where  one  Dr.  Mackrel, 
disguised  like  a  shoe-maker,  and  assuming  the 
name  of  Captain  Cobler,  collected  round  him 
twenty  thousand  men.  The  insurgents  swore  to 
be  true  to  God,  tha  King,  and  the  Common- 
wealth ;  and  drew  up  a  list  of  their  grievances, 
which  they  sent  to  their  sovereign,  whom  they 


INSURRECTIONS.  195 

acknowledged  to  be  the  head  of  the  Church. 
They  complained  of  the  suppression  of  the  Mo- 
nasteries, of  evil  counsellors  near  the  throne, 
and  desired  that  the  nobility  might  be  assembled 
to  redress  their  injuries.  These  complaints  were 
treated  with  contempt,  and  forces,  under  the 
command  of  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  were  sent  to 
subdue  the  rebels.  Some  of  the  gentry,  whom 
the  enraged  populace  had  forced  to  take  part 
with  them,  intimated  to  the  Duke  that  the  prom- 
ise of  a  general  pardon  would  probably  put  an 
end  to  the  rebellion.  Henry,  hearing  that 
greater  disturbances  were  about  to  take  place  in 
the  northern  part  of  his  kingdom,  and  being 
therefore  desirous  to  restore  quiet  in  Lincoln- 
shire, issued  a  proclamation  granting  the  royal 
forgiveness  to  such  of  the  malcontents  as  would 
return  to  their  homes.  This  had  the  intended 
effect ;  the  rebel  army  melted  away,  and  only  a 
few  of  their  leaders,  among  whom  was  Captain 
Cobler,  were  seized  and  put  to  death. 

The  storm,  which  for  some  time  had  been 
gathering  in  the  North,  now  burst  forth.  Forty 
thousand  men,  from  the  counties  of  York,  Dur- 
ham, and  Lancaster,  together  with  many  of  the 
clergy  and  some  noblemen,  among  whom  was 
Lord  Darcy,  assembled  under  the  command 
of  one  Aske,  a  gentleman  of  small  fortune,  but 
of  great  talents  as  a  leader.  This  enterprise 


196   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

was  called  the  Pilgrimage  of  Grace.  The 
rebels,  led  on  by  the  priests  bearing  crosses,  had 
on  their  banners  a  crucifix,  a  chalice  or  cup 
used  at  the  administration  of  the  Supper,  and  a 
representation  of  the  five  wounds  of  Christ ;  on 
their  sleeves  was  embroidered  the  name  of  Jesus. 
They  all  took  an  oath  that  they  entered  upon 
this  work,  "  for  the  love  of  God,  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  king's  issue,  the  purifying  of  the 
nobility,  and  driving  away  of  all  base-born  and 
ill  counsellors;  and  for  no  particular  profit  of 
their  own,  nor  to  do  any  displeasure,  nor  to  kill 
any  for  envy ;  but  to  take  before  them  the  Cross 
of  Christ,  his  faith,  the  restitution  of  the  Church, 
and  the  suppression  of  heretics  and  their  opin- 
ions." To  accomplish  their  purpose,  this  for- 
midable body  marched  from  place  to  place,  took 
one  or  two  castles,  the  towns  of  York  and  Hull, 
and  replaced,  wherever  they  went,  the  Monks 
and  Nuns  in  the  deserted  Monasteries. 

The  king  despatched  a  force  of  about  six 
thousand  men,  under  the  command  of  the  Duke 
of  Norfolk  and  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  who 
advanced  as  far  as  Doncaster,  to  prevent  the  in- 
surgents from  coming  any  farther  south.  Nor- 
folk, partly  on  account  of  the  inferiority  of  his 
numbers  to  those  of  the  enemy,  and  partly,  per- 
haps, because  being  a  Roman  Catholic  he  felt 
some  sympathy  with  their  enterprise,  obtained 


PILGRIMAGE    OF    GRACE.  197 

permission  from  Henry  to  offer  terms  of  pardon. 
A  herald  was  sent  across  the  river  Don,  which 
divided  the  two  armies.  Aske  received  him, 
sitting  in  a  chair  of  state,  and  supported  on 
either  side  by  an  Archbishop  and  Lord  Darcy, 
and  having  learned  the  tenor  of  his  message, 
would  not  allow  it  to  be  communicated  to  his 
followers.  A  battle  would  now  have  taken  place, 
had  not  the  river  been  made  impassable  by  a 
heavy  fall  of  rain.  This  afforded  time  for  new 
negotiations.  The  insurgents  demanded,  among 
other  things,  a  general  pardon,  the  restoration  of 
popery,  the  recognition  of  the  princess  Mary  as 
heir  to  the  throne,  the  reestablishment  of  the 
Monasteries,  and  the  punishment  of  the  Luthe- 
rans. These  demands  were,  of  course,  refused ; 
preparations  were  made  for  an  appeal  to  arms  ; 
when  another  fall  of  rain  and  a  second  rise  of 
the  Don,  intimidated  the  superstitious  among  the 
rebels,  who  looked  upon  these  repeated  checks, 
as  an  interposition  of  Providence.  In  the  mean 
time,  Aske's  troops  were  distressed  from  want  of 
provisions,  and  Norfolk  took  advantage  of  this 
state  of  things  and  issued  a  promise  of  general 
pardon.  His  conduct  met  the  approbation  of 
the  king,  who,  however,  in  a  proclamation, 
bluntly  told  his  discontented  subjects,  "  that 
they  ought  no  more  to  pretend  giving  a  judg- 
ment with  regard  to  government,  than  a  blind 
17* 


198    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

man  with  regard  to  colors."  "  And  we,"  he 
added,  "  with  our  whole  council,  think  it  right 
strange  that  ye,  who  be  but  brute  and  inexpert 
folk,  do  take  upon  you  to  appoint  us,  who  be 
meet  or  not  for  our  council."  The  royal  clem- 
ency, notwithstanding  the  ungracious  mariner  in 
which  it  was  expressed,  put  an  end  to  the  insur- 
rection, and  in  a  short  time  peace  was  restored 
to  the  kingdom. 

Soon  after  the  above  transactions  the  queen 
bore  a  son,  who  was  baptized  by  the  name  of 
Edward.  This  event  gave  the  king  great  joy, 
since,  as  he  had  declared  his  two  daughters  ille- 
gitimate, there  was  no  heir  to  the  crown  ;  but 
his  pleasure  was  soon  clouded  by  the  almost 
immediate  death  of  his  wife,  to  whom  he  was  so 
much  attached,  that  out  of  respect  to  her  memo- 
ry, as  some  say,  he  remained  two  years  a  wid- 
ower. 

The  power  and  popularity  of  Henry  were  so 
much  increased  by  the  suppression  of  the  rebell- 
ion and  the  birth  of  Prince  Edward,  that  he  was 
resolved  to  continue  his  attack  upon  the  relig- 
ious houses. 

When,  in  a  convocation  of  the  clergy,  the 
proposition  to  destroy  the  lesser  Monasteries  was 
first  advanced,  it  was  opposed  by  Bishop  Fisher, 
who  related  the  following  fable,  to  show  that 
such  a  measure  would  point  out  to  the  king,  how 


DESTRUCTION    OF    THE 


, 


he  might  come  at  the  larger  Monasteries.  "  An 
axe/'  said  the  old  man,  "  which  wanted  a  han- 
dle, came  upon  a  time  into  the  wood,  making 
his  moan  to  the  great  trees,  that  he  wanted  a 
handle  to  work  withal,  and  for  that  cause  he  was 
constrained  to  sit  idle  ;  therefore  he  made  it  his 
request  to  them  that  they  would  be  pleased  to 
grant  him  one  of  their  small  saplings  within  the 
wood  to  make  him  a  handle  ;  who  mistrusting 
no  guile,  granted  him  one  of  their  smaller  trees 
to  make  him  a  handle.  But  now  becoming  a 
complete  axe,  he  fell  so  to  work  within  the  same 
wood,  that  in  process  of  time  there  was  neither 
great  nor  small  trees  to  be  found  in  the  place 
where  the  wood  stood.  And  so,  my  Lords,  if 
you  grant  the  king  these  smaller  Monasteries, 
you  do  but  make  him  a  handle,  whereby  at  his 
own  pleasure  he  may  cut  down  all  the  cedars 
within  your  Lebanon."  The  ingenious  predic- 
tion of  Fisher  was  now  fulfilled.  In  the  course 
of  three  years  the  king  dissolved  most  of  the 
remaining  Monasteries  in  the  kingdom,  and 
swept  their  revenues,  amounting  to  upwards  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  pounds,  into 
his  treasury.  Care  was  taken  to  do  this  so  as 
to  prevent  any  great  commotion.  The  encour- 
agement was  held  out  to  the  people,  that  the  new 
addition  to  the  royal  funds  would  render  any 
taxes  unnecessary.  In  the  bill  by  which  he  effect- 


200    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

ed  his  purpose,  Henry  conciliated  many  of  the 
papists,  by  professing  a  belief  in  the  principal 
doctrines  of  the  Romish  Church.  The  king 
also  silenced  much  opposition  by  the  freedom 
with  which  he  spent  his  newly-gotten  riches. 
In  one  instance,  it  is  said,  he  gave  the  whole 
income  of  a  convent  to  a  woman,  as  a  reward 
for  making  a  pudding  which  happened  to  please 
his  palate. 

Men  were  further  reconciled  to  the  work  of 
destruction  by  an  exposure  of  the  frauds  with 
which  the  priests  had  imposed  upon  the  ignorant 
and  credulous.  More  pieces  of  the  true  cross 
were  produced  than  would  have  made  a  whole 
one ;  and  a  sufficient  number  of  the  teeth  of  a 
certain  saint,  which  had  been  distributed  as  a 
sure  remedy  for  the  tooth-ache,  to  fill  a  hogshead, 
were  collected.  In  Gloucestershire  a  vial  had 
been  shown  as  containing  a  portion  of  Christ's 
blood,  which  was  visible  only  when  the  pilgrim 
had  by  penitence  and  gifts  obtained  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins  ;  —  now  it  was  discovered  that 
one  side  of  it  was  thick  and  dark  and  the  other 
thin  and  transparent,  and  that  being  supplied 
every  day  with  the  fresh  blood  of  a  bird,  the 
pretended  miracle  was  performed  by  turning  the 
vessel  round  as  occasion  required.  At  another 
place  was  a  famous  crucifix,  with  an  image  upon 
it,  which,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  ignorant, 


THOMAS    A    BECKET. 

would  move  its  head  and  limbs ;  —  this  was 
broken  in  pieces,  and  the  springs  and  wires,  by 
which  the  trick  had  been  played,  exposed  to  the 
derision  of  the  multitude. 

The  discovery  of  these  and  other  like  imposi- 
tions practised  by  some  of  the  Monks,  opened 
the  eyes  of  many,  and  caused  them  to  look  with 
indifference  upon  their  present  discomfiture.  To 
increase  this  feeling,  and  to  gratify  still  further 
his  own  dislike  to  the  popish  priesthood,  Henry 
determined  not  to  let  even  the  dead  rest. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  Thomas  a  Becket 
was  made  Chancellor.  He  was  a  prelate  of  a 
fearless  and  arrogant  temper,  untiring  in  his 
exertions  to  increase  the  power  of  the  clergy, 
and  gave  his  sovereign  much  trouble  by  the  little 
respect  he  paid  to  his  authority.  Among  other 
bold  acts,  he,  at  one  time,  excommunicated 
several  of  the  clergy,  who  opposed  his  ambitious 
schemes,  and  refused  to  obey  a  command  to 
restore  them  again  to  favor.  The  king  was  then 
in  France.  When  the  news  of  Becket's  disobe- 
dience reached  him,  he  exclaimed  ;  "  What  an 
unhappy  prince  am  I,  who  have  not  about  me 
one  man  of  spirit  enough  to  rid  me  of  a  single  in- 
solent prelate,  the  perpetual  trouble  of  my  life." 
These  angry  words  induced  four  noblemen  to 
resolve  to  relieve  him  of  his  plague.  They  went 
over  to  England,  and  appearing  before  the  Chan- 


202    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

cellor  while  he  was  engaged  at  public  worship, 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Canterbury,  bade  him,  on 
pain  of  instant  death,  obey  the  command  of  the 
king.  Becket,  unmoved  by  fear,  replied,  that  he 
was  ready  to  die  for  the  good  of  the  Church. 
The  confederates  then  endeavoured  to  drag  him 
out  of  the  Cathedral,  but  not  being  able  to  do 
this,  they  slew  him  on  the  spot. 

The  Pope  took  care  to  make  the  most  of  this 
deed  of  violence.  Becket  was  canonized.  In 
the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  his  body  was  taken  up 
and  placed  in  a  magnificent  shrine  at  Canter- 
bury. His  bones  and  other  remains  worked, 
it  was  pretended,  numberless  miracles,  and  ple- 
nary indulgence  was  granted  to  all  who  visited 
his  tomb ;  and  so  great  was  the  popularity  of  the 
Saint,  that  many  hundred  thousands  of  persons 
made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  place  of  his  burial. 

Henry  VIII.  resolved  now  to  avenge  the  in- 
sulted authority  of  his  ancestors,  and  to  destroy 
the  reputation  of  Becket.  He  ordered  him, 
although  dead,  to  be  tried  and  condemned  as  a 
traitor  ;  his  name  to  be  erased  from  the  cata- 
logue of  the  Saints,  his  bones  to  be  burnt,  and 
his  shrine,  the  gold  taken  from  which  filled  two 
chests,  to  be  broken  in  pieces. 

These  attacks  upon  the  dignity  and  prosperity 
of  the  Church  caused  great  indignation  at  Rome ; 
and  when  the  Pope  heard  of  the  contempt  shown 


EXCOMMUNICATION    OF    HENRY    VIII.       203 

to  the  remains  of  Becket,  he  no  longer  delayed 
the  expression  of  his  anger.  He  sent  forth  a 
bull,  "  requiring  the  king  of  England  and  his 
accomplices  to  appear  at  Rome  and  give  an 
account  of  their  conduct ;  if  they  did  not,  the 
Pope  deprived  him  of  his  crown  and  them  of 
their  estates,  and  both  of  '  Christian  burial.'  " 
Henry's  subjects  were  absolved  from  their  oath 
of  allegiance,  and  his  kingdom  given  to  the  king 
of  Scotland,  — if  he  would  go  and  take  it. 

In  former  days  such  an  act  of  the  Pontiff 
would  have  been  followed  by  dreadful  conse- 
quences to  any  monarch ;  but  now  its  impotency 
only  served  to  show  how  weak  the  foundations  of 
the  papal  throne  had  become. 


204    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LAMBERT  —  LAW  OF  SIX  ARTICLES  —  ANNE  OF 
CLEVES  —  CATHERINE  HOWARD  —  PERSECUTION  — 
DEATH  OF  CATHERINE  HOWARD— CATHERINE  PARR 
—  ANNE  ASKEW  — DEATH  OF  HENRY  VIII.  1538-1547. 

ALTHOUGH  Henry,  to  gratify  his  passions,  had 
treated  the  Pope  with  so  little  respect,  and  had 
shown  so  little  fear  of  his  vengeance,  yet  he  by 
no  means  wished  to  be  ranked  among  here- 
tics. He  was  still  vain  of  his  reputation  as  a 
Theologian,  and,  although  many  of  his  measures 
had  helped  their  cause,  had  little  sympathy 
with  the  opinions  of  the  Reformers.  There 
were  those  in  the  royal  council,  quick  to  per- 
ceive and  ready  to  take  advantage  of  this  incon- 
sistency between  the  creed  and  the  conduct  of 
the  king.  Gardiner,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  in 
particular,  being  anxious  to  advance  the  plans  of 
the  popish  party,  ventured  to  suggest  to  his  master 
a  method  by  which  he  might  restore  himself  to 
favor  with  the  Roman  Pontiff. 

Many  of  the  English  Protestants  had  ceased 
to  believe  in  the  real  presence  of  the  body  of 
Christ  in  the  bread  used  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Supper  ;  and  for  this  reason  they  were  called 
Sacramentaries.  Gardiner  advised  Henry,  who 


LAMBERT.  205 

still  held  to  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation, 
to  punish  these  heretics ;  and  an  opportunity  for 
putting  his  advice  in  practice  soon  occurred. 
John  Lambert,  a  schoolmaster  in  London,  hav- 
ing heard  a  clergyman  by  the  name  of  Tailorr 
advocate,  in  a  sermon,  the  doctrine  of  the  real 
presence,  went  to  him  in  private  and  objected  to 
his  arguments.  Tailor  requested  Lambert  to 
state  his  views  in  writing,  which  he  did.  The 
paper  thus  obtained  was  shown  to  several  per- 
sons, and  its  author  was  brought  to  trial  on  the 
charge  of  heresy.  In  an  evil  hour  Lambert 
appealed  to  the  king. 

Henry  was  fond  of  theological  controversy  and 
was  also  anxious,  at  this  time,  to  show  his  de- 
testation of  the  new  opinions ;  he  therefore  de- 
termined, in  person,  to  sit  in  judgment  upon 
Lambert.  The  Court  was  held  in  Westminster 
Hall.  The  king,  attended  by  the  principal 
clergy  and  nobility  of  the  realm,  was  present  in 
great  state.  When  the  prisoner  was  brought 
before  them,  Henry  and  ten  of  the  most  learned 
prelates  endeavoured  to  make  him  recant.  Lam- 
bert argued  till  he  was  wearied  out  and  con- 
founded by  the  number  of  his  antagonists. 
Being  then  asked  if  he  would  confess  his  error, 
he  refused,  and  said  that  "  he  commended  his 
soul  to  God  and  his  body  to  the  mercy  of  his 
sovereign."  He  was  condemned  and  burnt  at 
18 


206    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

the  stake  by  a  slow  fire  ;  "  and  when  his  legs 
and  thighs  were  consumed  to  the  stumps/'  two 
of  the  soldiers  raised  his  body  on  their  halberds 
and  cast  it  into  the  flames,  —  he  crying  out  to 
the  last,  "  none  but  Christ,  none  but  Christ." 

Henry  now  undertook  to  put  an  end  to  the 
difference  of  opinion  on  religious  subjects  in  the 
kingdom.  To  accomplish  this  design,  he  di- 
rected the  Parliament  to  enact  six  articles  as 
the  creed  of  the  Church.  By  these  it  was  de- 
clared that,  after  their  consecration,  the  bread 
and  wine  became  the  real  body  and  blood  of 
Christ ;  that,  according  to  the  Romish  doc- 
trines, the  laity  should  partake  only  of  the  bread, 
at  the  celebration  of  the  Supper ;  that  the 
priests  should  not  marry ;  that  private  Masses 
were  good  and  right,  and  that  auricular  confes- 
sions were  necessary  to  salvation.  To  write, 
preach,  or  speak  against  any  of  the  last  five  of 
these  articles  was  to  be  punished  with  fines  and 
imprisonment,  and  the  penalty  affixed  to  a  denial 
of  the  first  was  death  by  fire. 

So  many  persons  were  thrown  into  prison  in 
consequence  of  the  passage  of  this  sanguinary 
law,  that  even  the  relentless  Henry  hesitated  to 
enforce  its  observation,  till,  on  a  certain  occasion,, 
he  found  it  could  be  used  for  the  gratification  of 
his  selfish  passions. 


ANNE    OF    CLEVES.  207 

It  has  already  been  mentioned,  that  Thomas 
Cromwel  stood  high  among  the  eminent  men  at 
the  court  of  Henry.  This  individual,  the  son  of 
a  blacksmith,  was  the  confidential  servant  of 
Wolsey,  and  after  his  death  filled  one  of  the 
highest  offices  in  the  government.  By  his  re- 
commendation, the  king  was  persuaded  to  form 
an  alliance  with  the  German  Protestant  Princes, 
by  marrying  Anne  of  Cleves,  a  sister  of  Sibylla, 
the  wife  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony.  The  union 
thus  formed  continued  only  for  a  short  time. 

Anne,  who  was  ignorant  of  the  English  lan- 
guage and  destitute  of  personal  beauty,  failed  to 
win  the  affections  of  her  husband ;  who,  more- 
over, had  been  lately  smitten  with  the  charms  of 
Catherine  Howard.  The  relatives  of  Catherine, 
who  were  zealous  Catholics,  when  they  discov- 
ered Henry's  new  passion,  made  use  of  it  as  an  in- 
strument to  crush  Cromwel  and  elevate  themselves 
to  power.  Cromwel  was  soon  condemned  and 
executed  for  high  treason  ;  Parliament  granted 
Henry's  request  for  a  divorce  and  sanctioned  his 
marriage  with  Catherine ;  and  Gardiner  and 
other  Romanists  obtained  the  ascendancy  in  the 
government;  being  obliged,  however,  to  submit 
to  the  despotic  will  of  the  king. 

The  contradictory  elements  now  at  work,  and 
the  inconsistent  decrees  of  Henry,  led  to  a  per- 
secution of  persons  belonging  to  both  of  the 


208   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

religious  parties.  Protestants  and  Papists  were 
drawn  together  on  the  same  hurdle  to  the  place 
of  execution,  the  former  for  denying  the  first 
of  the  six  articles,  the  later  for  denying  the 
supremacy  of  the  king.  This  spectacle  grew  to 
be  so  common,  that  a  foreigner  then  in  England 
truly  remarked,  "  that  those  who  were  against 
the  Pope  were  burned,  and  those  who  were  for 
the  Pope  were  hanged." 

In  this  reign  there  was  little  dependence  to  be 
placed  upon  the  smiles  of  the  king  ;  the  party  in 
power  to  day  were  in  disgrace  to-morrow.  Thus 
it  happened  at  this  time ;  and  the  papist  soon 
met  with  a  check.  It  was  discovered  that  the 
queen  was  a  woman  of  an  abandoned  character  ; 
and  when  the  fact  became  known  to  Henry  he 
was  affected  even  to  tears.  But  his  grief  was 
quickly  followed  by  indignation,  and  Catherine 
and  her  confederates  were  condemned  to  death. 

In  1543,  the  king  took  for  his  sixth  wife 
Catherine  Parr,  the  widow  of  Lord  Latimer, 
a  woman  of  talents  and  virtue,  and  inclined 
to  favor  the  Reformers.  This  new  connexion, 
although  it  did  not  entirely  put  an  end  to  the 
persecution,  gave  to  the  Protestants  more  influ- 
ence at  court.  Cranmer  was  able,  at  some  per- 
sonal risk,  to  procure  concessions  in  favor 
of  those  who  embraced  the  new  doctrines.  Gar- 
diner, on  the  other  hand,  regarded  the  late  mar- 


ANNE    ASKEW.  209 

riage  with  a  jealous  eye,  and  was  indefatigable 
in  his  intrigues  to  promote  the  cause  of  popery. 
It  was  a  common  saying  that  he  had  bent  his 
bow  to  shoot  at  the  head  deer,  meaning  the 
queen  and  Cranmer  ;  and,  it  may  be  added,  his 
aim  was  so  true  that  they  had  a  very  narrow 
escape. 

The  latter  of  the  intended  victims  was  saved 
only  by  the  personal  regard  of  Henry,  to  whom 
he  had  always  been  a  submissive  servant ;  while 
the  former  baffled  her  enemy  with  a  woman's 
wit. 

As  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to  begin  by 
direct  charges  against  the  queen,  a  plot  was  laid 
to  cast  suspicion  upon  her  by  seizing  upon  one 
of  her  attendants.  Anne  Askew,  a  woman  of 
noble  birth,  who,  turned  out  of  doors  by  her 
husband  because  she  had  embraced  the  new 
doctrine,  came  to  London  and  was  connected 
with  the  court,  was  the  person  selected  by 
Gardiner  as  his  first  victim.  She  was  sum- 
moned before  the  judges  and  asked  if  she  be- 
lieved in  the  real  presence  ;  the  intrepid  woman 
replied  that  she  did  not,  and  then  told  them 
that  if  the  bread  used  at  the  supper  was  left  in  a 
box  three  months,  it  would  at  the  end  of  that 
period  be  found  to  be  mouldy  like  any  other 
bread.  Her  persecutors  then  tried,  but  without 
18* 


210    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

success,  to  extort  from  her  by  torture  some  con- 
fession prejudicial  to  the  queen. 

Finding  Anne  determined  riot  to  yield  to  their 
cruelty,  Gardiner  at  length  caused  the  sentence 
of  death  to  be  pronounced  upon  her.  On  the 
scaffold  she  appeared  composed  and  even  cheer- 
ful, notwithstanding  her  limbs  were  broken  and 
mangled  by  the  rack,  and  met  her  cruel  fate 
with  firmness. 

Disappointed  in  their  hopes  to  force  from 
Anne  Askew  any  confession  which  they  might 
use  against  the  queen,  Gardiner  and  his  associ- 
ates now  proceeded  with  more  direct  endeavours 
to  effect  their  purpose.  Taking  advantage  of 
one  of  his  moments  of  irritation  they  accused 
Catherine  of  heresy  to  the  king,  and  prevailed 
upon  him  to  sign  a  warrant  for  her  committal  to 
the  Tower.  The  queen  discovered  their  plan 
and  immediately  made  a  bold  effort  to  outwit 
them.  She  repaired  to  the  presence  of  Henry, 
who,  in  order  to  sound  her  opinions,  turned  the 
conversation  to  religious  subject.  Aware  of  his 
object,  she  humbly  replied,  "  that  on  such  topics 
she  always,  as  became  her  sex  and  station,  re- 
ferred herself  to  the  wisdom  of  his  majesty,  as 
he,  under  God,  was  her  only  supreme  head  and 
governor  here  on  earth."  "  Not  so  Kate,"  an- 
swered her  husband,  "  you  are,  as  we  take  it, 
become  a  sort  of  doctor,  to  instruct,  and  not  to 


DEATH    OF    HENRY    VIII. 

be  instructed  by  us."  Catherine  cautiously 
replied,  that  she  objected  only  that  she  might  be 
benefited  by  his  superior  knowledge.  "  Is  it 
so,  sweet  heart  ?  "  said  the  king  ;  "  and  tended 
your  arguments  to  no  worse  end  1  Then  are 
we  perfect  friends  again."  After  this  interview, 
Gardiner  lost  his  influence,  and  was  never  re- 
stored to  the  royal  favor  whilst  Henry  lived. 

Henry  VIII.  had  occupied  the  throne  almost 
half  of  a  century  ;  but  his  life  now  drew  near  to 
its  close.  He  died  on  the  27th  of  January,  1547, 
having  been  one  of  the  most  powerful,  des- 
potic, inconsistent  and  cruel  monarchs  that  ever 
wore  a  crown.  He  left  the  religious  affairs  of 
his  kingdom  in  an  unsettled  state.  The  creed 
of  the  church  was  neither  that  of  the  Protestants 
nor  Papists,  but  a  strange  mixture  of  the  doc- 
trines of  both,  which  no  one  probably  except  its 
royal  maker  ever  believed.  It  remained  for 
others  to  arrange  the  discordant  materials  be- 
queathed them  by  the  capricious  Henry,  and  to 
complete  the  unfinished  work. 


SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

EDWARD  VI.  — SOMERSET  — PROGRESS  OF  THE  RE- 
FORMATION—JOAN  BOCHER —NORTHUMBERLAND — 
DEATH  OF  EDWARD  VI.  1547-1553. 

AFTER  the  death  of  Henry  VIII.  his  son 
Edward  VI.  then  but  little  more  than  nine  years 
of  age  ascended  the  throne.  "  With  his  moth- 
er's gentleness  and  suavity  of  disposition,  this 
young  prince  inherited  his  father's  capacity  and 
diligence  and  love  of  learning."  His  precep- 
tors were  selected  from  among  the  Reformers ; 
and  he  was  early  remarkable  for  the  purity  of 
his  character  and  his  unaffected  piety.  At  his 
coronation,  when,  according  to  custom,  three 
swords  were  brought  to  be  carried  before  him, 
he  observed  that  there  was  one  yet  wanting,  — 
and  called  for  the  Bible.  "That,"  said  he,  "  is 
the  sword  of  the  spirit,  and  ought  in  all  right  to 
govern  us,  who  use  these  for  the  people's  safety 
by  God's  appointment.  Without  that  sword  we 
are  nothing  and  can  do  nothing.  Under  that 
we  ought  to  live,  to  govern,  and  to  perform  all 
our  affairs.  From  that  alone  we  obtain  all 
power,  virtue,  grace,  salvation,  and  whatsoever 
we  have  of  divine  strength."  One  who  was 
about  the  person  of  the  youthful  monarch,  de- 


EDWARD    VI.  213 

scribes  him  as,  "  the  beautifullest  creature  that 
lived  under  the  sun ;  the  wittiest,  the  most 
amiable,  and  the  gentlest  thing-of  all  the  world." 

Edward,  however,  was  a  mere  boy,  and  the 
government  of  his  kingdom  was  carried  on  by 
others.  During  the  first  years  of  his  reign,  his 
uncle,  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  was  appointed  the 
Governor  of  the  king  and  the  Protector  of  the 
realm.  This  nobleman  was  favorably  disposed 
towards  the  Reformation,  and  encouraged  Cran- 
mer  and  the  rest  of  the  Protestant  clergy  in 
their  efforts  to  destroy  the  remnants  of  Popery 
in  England.  The  changes  begun  by  Henry 
were  finished,  and  new  innovations  were  intro- 
duced. All  acts  which  countenanced  the  Ro- 
manists were  annulled.  The  law  of  Six  Arti- 
cles was  repealed;  priests  were  allowed  to 
marry ;  the  images  were  removed  from  the 
churches;  the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence 
was  given  up  ;  auricular  confessions  were  abol- 
ished, and  a  book  of  Common  Prayer  was  pre- 
pared for  the  use  of  the  people. 

These  and  like  innovations  were  proposed  by 
some  of  the  Protestants  from  pure  motives  ;  but 
this  remark  cannot  be  applied  to  its  full  extent 
to  Somerset  or  many  of  his  coadjutors.  How- 
ever much  we  may  have  occasion  to  rejoice  at 
the  progress  made  by  the  Reformation  at  this 
period,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  it  was  effected 


214    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

in  many  instances  by  unjust  means  and  for 
wicked  ends.  In  monarchical  governments, 
during  a  long  minority,  it  has  usually  happened 
that  the  nobility  have  been  busy  with  intrigues 
to  increase  their  own  wealth  and  power  ;  this 
was  the  case  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  To 
enrich  themselves  by  the  plunder  of  the  Church 
was  the  chief  object  of  the  Protector  and  his 
party.  The  Cathedrals  were  stript  of  their 
ornaments ;  the  Monasteries  were  torn  down 
and  their  lands  bestowed  upon  the  nobles ; 
even  the  libraries,  with  their  valuable  manu- 
scripts, did  not  entirely  escape  the  general  havoc. 
"  Private  men's  halls  were  now  hung  with  altar 
cloths  ;  their  tables  and  beds  covered  with  the 
priests'  vestments,  instead  of  carpets  and  cover- 
lits.  It  was  a  sorry  house  which  had  not  some- 
what of  this  furniture,  though  it  were  only  a 
fair  cushion  covered  with  such  spoils,  to  adorn 
their  windows  or  make  their  chairs  have  some- 
thing in  them  of  a  chair  of  state/5 

Such  shameless  proceedings  were  a  source  of 
grief  to  the  sincere  friends  of  reform,  and  were 
regarded  with  sorrow  by  the  young  king.  On 
one  occasion,  after  the  nobles  had  been  carrying 
on  their  work  of  plunder  to  an  enormous  extent, 
the  Lord  Admiral,  a  brother  of  the  Protector, 
had  the  hardihood  to  propose,  that  the  bishops 
should  be  deprived  of  the  most  of  their  revenues, 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  REFORMATION.   215 

on  the  ground  that  they  ought  not  to  be  troubled 
with  temporal  concerns.  Edward  understood 
his  purpose,  and  answered  him  with  great  severi- 
ty ;  — «'  You  have  had  among  you,"  said  he, 
"  the  commodities  of  the  abbeys  which  you 
have  consumed,  —  some  with  superfluous  ap- 
parel, some  at  dice  and  cards  and  other  ungra- 
cious rule  ;  and  now  you  would  have  the 
bishops'  lands  and  revenues  to  abuse  likewise  I 
Set  your  hearts  at  rest ;  there  shall  no  such 
alteration  be  made  while  I  live!  " 

Under  rulers  so  destitute  of  principle,  and 
amid  such  great  revolutions  in  the  religious  in- 
stitutions of  the  kingdom,  we  should  naturally 
expect  to  find  the  people  at  large  in  a  most 
wretched  condition.  This  was  the  fact.  Not- 
withstanding the  many  exceptions,  produced  by 
the  labors  of  the  most  learned  and  pious  among 
the  clergy,  the  general  character  of  society  was 
sadly  depraved.  Controversy  and  intrigue, 
amongst  the  different  parties,  usurped  the  place 
of  practical  religion,  and  immorality  and  wick- 
edness of  all  kinds  every  where  abounded. 
Licentiousness,  oppression,  pride,  covetousness, 
and  a  hatred  of  all  religion,  according  to  the 
most  eminent  preachers  of  the  day,  were 
widely  spread  among  all  the  people ;  chiefly 
those  of  a  higher  rank ;  "  and  the  sins  of  Eng- 
land," says  Burnet,  "  did  call  down  from  heaven 


216    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

heavy  curses  on  the  land."  The  escape  of  the 
nation  from  Popery  was  not  followed  by  any 
immediate  or  great  improvement  in  its  moral 
character.  Much  as  they  had  themselves  suf- 
fered from  persecution,  the  Protestants  had  by 
no  means  yet  learned  to  be  tolerant.  Several 
Anabaptists  were  burnt,  because  they  would  not 
adopt  the  creed  established  by  law.  Even  Cran- 
mer,  of  whom  better  things  might  have  been 
expected,  was,  on  one  occasion  at  least,  guilty  of 
great  cruelty. 

His  victim  was  Joan  Bocher,  a  woman  of 
good  birth  and  education,  from  the  county  of 
Kent.  She  was  accused  of  maintaining  an  old 
arid  absurd  opinion  held  by  some  in  the  early 
ages  of  the  Church,  viz.,  that  the  body  of  Christ 
was  not  a  real,  but  only  an  apparent  body.  For 
this  crime  she  was  brought  to  trial  and  con- 
demned to  death.  "  It  is  a  goodly  matter  to 
consider  your  ignorance ;  "  said  Joan  to  her 
judges,  "  not  long  ago  you  burnt  Anne  Askew 
for  a  piece  of  bread,  and  yet  came  yourselves 
soon  after  to  believe  arid  profess  the  same  doc- 
trine for  which  you  burnt  her!  and  now,  for- 
sooth, you  will  needs  burn  me  for  a  piece  of 
flesh ;  and,  in  the  end  you  will  come  to  believe 
this  also,  when  ye  have  read  the  Scriptures  and 
understand  them."  When  it  was  found  that  no 
argument  could  persuade  her  to  abandon  her 


NORTHUMBERLAND.  217 

opinion,  Cranmer  urged  the  king  to  sign  the 
warrant  for  her  execution.  The  tender  and 
merciful  Edward,  not  yet  fourteen  years  of  age, 
for  a  long  time  refused  ;  at  last,  he  yielded  to 
the  solicitations  of  the  archbishop,  telling  him 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  —  "  that  he  must  answer 
for  the  act  to  God." 

Somerset  retained  his  power  for  several  years, 
and  exercised  it  in  many  respects  with  ability 
and  wisdom.  His  unjust  conduct  in  regard  to 
religious  matters  is  probably  to  be  attributed  to 
political  motives  and  the  advice  of  evil  counsellors, 
rather  than  to  any  bad  personal  qualities.  His 
nephew  held  him  in  much  respect  until  his  mind 
was  poisoned  and  deceived  by  the  enemies  of 
the  Protector,  who  at  length  accomplished  his 
ruin.  He  was  tried  on  a  false  charge  of  having 
formed  a  conspiracy  against  the  king,  and  be- 
headed January  22,  1552. 

Warwick,  Duke  of  Northumberland,  by  whose 
intrigues  Somerset  had  been  destroyed,  now 
became  the  chief  ruler  in  the  kingdom,  and 
preserved  that  high  office  during  the  remainder 
of  Edward's  reign.  He  was  a  bold,  bad  man  ; 
but  as  his  interest  led  him  to  favor  the  Reformers, 
he  made  no  great  changes  in  the  church.  The 
abuses  introduced  under  the  administration  of 
his  predecessor  still  continued  ;  and,  amid  the 
political  quarrels  which  agitated  the  court  and 
19 


218         SKETCH    OF    THE    SEF'ORMATION. 

distracted  the  country,  the  condition  of  the  peo- 
ple was  much  the  same  as  we  have  above  de- 
scribed. There  were  not  wanting,  however, 
among  the  clergy  and  nobility,  those  who  made 
great  efforts  to  bring  about  a  better  state  of 
things ;  and  had  Edward  lived  to  take  the 
reins  of  government  into  his  own  hands,  the 
nation  might  have  been  redeemed  from  its 
wickedness  and  saved  from  a  relapse  into  po- 
pery. 

As  the  personal  character  of  Edward  furnishes 
the  brightest  page  in  the  history  of  his  reign, 
so  the  close  of  his  short  life  was  full  of  beauty 
and  interest.  In  the  year  1552  he  was  attacked 
first  with  the  measles  and  then  with  the  small 
pox ;  but  he  recovered  from  these  diseases  and 
made  a  journey  through  his  kingdom,  during 
which  he  took  frequent  colds,  which  greatly 
impaired  his  constitution.  In  January  of  the 
following  year  a  severe  and  obstinate  cough 
with  which  he  was  seized  threw  him  into  a  con- 
sumption. As  the  Duke  of  Northumberland, 
who  was  very  unpopular,  would  allow  none  but 
his  own  friends  to  approach  the  king,  suspicions 
arose  that  slow  poison  had  been  given  to  him  ; 
but  no  proof  that  any  such  vilJany  was  practised 
has  ever  been  found. 

During  Edward's  illness  Ridley,  one  of  his 
bishops,  preached  before  him  and  took  occasion 


DEATH    OF    EDWARD    VI.  219 

to  speak  of  the  obligation  that  lay  upon  men  of 
high  condition  to   be   eminent   in  works  of  be- 
nevolence.    This  so  touched  his  royal   auditor 
that   after  the   service  he   sent  for  the  bishop, 
bade  him  sit  down  and  be  covered  in  his  pres- 
ence,   and    then  telling    him   that   he  took   the 
sermon  to  himself,  desired  him  to  point  out  the 
best  way  in  which  he  could  obey  his  exhortation. 
Ridley,    overcome    by    the    humility    and   kind 
disposition  of  the  prince,  requested  leave  to  con- 
sult with  others  before  he  answered  his  question. 
This  was  granted ;  and   applications  were  made 
to  the  magistrates  of  the   city  for  their   advice. 
They    replied   that  the  poor  might  be  divided 
into  three  classes,  — those  who  were  so  by  reason 
of  natural  infirmity,  such  as  idiots  and  madmen, 
—  the  sick  and  maimed, —  and  those  who  were 
too  indolent  and  dissolute  to  work.     When  this 
statement  was  reported  to  the  king,  he  ordered 
Gray-friars'. church  to  be  turned  into  an  asylum 
for  orphans,   St.    Bartholomew's    into    a    hospi- 
tal, and  gave  his  own   house  of  Bridewell   as  a 
place   of  correction  for   the  wilfully  idle.     This 
order  was  not  fully  executed   until  the  following 
June  ;   and  when  Edward  had  signed  the  papers 
necessary    to    finish    its    benevolent  design,    he 
thanked  God  for  prolonging   his  life  till  he  had 
completed  this  work. 


220    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

On  the  sixth  of  July  the  king  found  himself 
to  be  dying,  and  gave  his  last  moments  to  devo- 
tion, praying  most  earnestly  for  his  people,  that 
they  might  be  blessed  and  saved  from  the  errors 
of  popery.  Having  ended  this  supplication,  he 
said  to  one  who  was  holding  him  in  his  arms, 
"  I  am  faint.  Lord  have  rnercy  on  me,  and  re- 
ceive my  spirit ;  "  and  "  so  he  breathed  out  his 
innocent  soul." 

Historians  dwell  with  delight  upon  the  char- 
acter of  young  Edward,  who,  although  he  was 
but  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  died,  had  given 
the  promise  of  being  one  of  the  wisest  and  best 
of  monarchs.  His  natural  talents  were  of  a 
high  order,  and  his  diligence  in  the  pursuit  of  all 
knowledge  that  might  be  useful  to  him  as  a  sove- 
reign indefatigable.  He  kept  a  journal  of  his 
life ;  and  likewise  a  book,  wherein  he  recorded 
the  characters  of  the  chief  men  in  the  kingdom, 
that  he  might  be  able  to  select  the  most  worthy 
for  his  counsellors.  To  his  fine  mental  endow- 
ments was  added  an  affectionate  and  merciful 
disposition ;  and,  indeed,  his  whole  character 
deserves  all  the  eulogy  it  has  received,  as  well 
as  the  study  and  imitation  of  every  youth  who 
aspires  to  that  true  greatness,  which  comes  from 
the  union  of  a  cultivated  mind  with  a  sanctified 
heart. 


USURPATION  OF  LADY  JANE  GREY. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

USURPATION  OF  THE  LADY  JANE  GREY— ACCESSION 
OF  MARY  — EXECUTION  OF  THE  LADY  JANE  — RES- 
TORATION OF  POPERY  — PERSECUTION  — JOHN  ROG- 
ERS —  LAWRENCE  SAUNDERS—  LATIMER  —  CRANMER 
—  DEATH  OF  MARY— ACCESSION  OF  ELIZABETH  — 
REFORMATION  ESTABLISHED.  1552-1559. 

NORTHUMBERLAND,  whose  ambition  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  power  he  had  already  enjoyed, 
formed  a  plan  by  which  he  hoped  to  maintain  his 
authority  yet  longer.  Having  married  his  fourth 
son,  Lord  Guilford  Dudley,  to  the  Lady  Jane  Grey, 
daughter  of  the  younger  sister  of  Henry  VIII.  he 
prevailed  upon  Edward,  who  dreaded  the  effects  of 
his  sister  Mary's  hatred  of  the  Reformers,  to  make 
a  will  and  appoint  the  Lady  Jane  his  successor. 
Accordingly,  after  the  decease  of  the  king,  Jane, 
then  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  contrary  to 
her  own  wish,  was  proclaimed  queen. 

The  lovely  usurper,  whose  reluctance  to  as- 
cend the  throne  had  been  overcome  chiefly  by 
the  earnest  entreaties  of  her  father,  the  Duke  of 
Suffolk,  maintained  her  dangerous  elevation  only 
nine  days.  Northumberland  was  almost  univer- 
sally detested ;  the  right  of  Mary  to  the  crown 
was  undisputed,  and  the  rapacity  of  the  pre- 
19* 


222    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

tended  friends  of  the  Reformation,  during  the 
last  reign,  had  rendered  the  people  quite  indif- 
ferent in  regard  to  religious  affairs.  With  these 
circumstances  operating  in  her  favor,  Mary  found 
it  easy  to  defeat  her  enemies  and  recover  her 
rightful  authority.  She  entered  London  sup- 
ported by  the  whole  nation,  and  was  acknow- 
ledged by  all  as  the  lawful  sovereign  of  the 
realm. 

To  enlist  the  Reformers  on  her  side,  Mary 
had  promised  not  to  alter  the  religion  as  estab- 
lished by  her  brother.  This  promise  was  soon 
broken.  The  Queen,  whose  disposition  inclined 
her  to  cruelty,  was  bigoted  in  her  attachment  to 
popery,  and  violent  in  her  hatred  of  the  new 
opinions ;  and  indeed  the  injustice  she  had  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  the  Protestants  would 
have  excited  the  indignation  of  a  far  more  mer- 
ciful temper  than  she  possessed.  To  them  she 
attributed  the  dishonor  of  her  mother,  the  danger 
to  which  she  herself  had  been  exposed  during 
the  reign  of  her  father,  and  the  vexations  she 
had  endured  from  her  brother's  anxiety  to  change 
her  faith. 

Hardly,  therefore,  had  the  queen  mounted  the 
throne,  before  she  showed  it  to  be  her  determi- 
nation to  restore  the  Catholic  religion.  She 
granted  a  pardon  to  those  prelates  who  had  been 
confined  or' removed  from  office,  on  account  of 


ACCESSION    OF    MARY. 

their  opposition  to  the  Reformation.  The  cruel 
Gardiner  and  the  infamous  Bonner  were  ad- 
mitted to  seats  in  the  council.  All  ministers 
were  forbidden  to  preach,  except  such  as  re- 
ceived the  royal  permission,  which  was  carefully 
confined  to  popish  priests.  The  foreign  Protes- 
tants, many  of  whom  had  settled  in  England  in 
the  time  of  Edward,  were  expelled  from  the 
kingdom.  The  marriages  of  the  clergy  were 
declared  illegal.  A  Latin  mass  was  performed 
at  the  opening  of  Parliament.  And  to  crown 
the  work,  the  Pope  was  secretly  informed  of  the 
queen's  earnest  desire  to  be  reconciled  to  the 
Roman  see. 

These  changes  gave  great  offence  to  a  large 
portion  of  the  people  ;  and  when  in  addition  to 
them  it  was  known  that  the  queen  intended  to 
marry  Philip,  the  eldest  son  of  Charles  V.,  a 
step  which  threatened  to  bring  England  under 
the  control  of  that  monarch,  the  general  discon- 
tent broke  out  in  open  rebellion.  The  insurrec- 
tion was  soon  put  down  ;  but  Mary  made  use  of 
it  as  an  excuse  for  the  destruction  of  all  whom 
she  feared  as  rivals  or  dreaded  for  their  virtues. 

The  most  eminent  among  the  victims  were 
the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  who  had  been  weak  enough 
to  lend  some  countenance  to  the  rebels,  Lord 
Dudley,  and  his  wife  the  Lady  Jane  Grey.  The 
account  of  the  execution  of  these  nobles  belongs 


224   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

to  the  civil  history  of  this  period ;  but  we  cannot 
forbear  pausing  to  notice  the  firmness  with  which 
the  last  met  her  sentence. 

There  are  few  characters  in  history  so  deserv- 
ing of  affectionate  respect  as  that  of  the  Lady 
Jane  Grey.  Young,  beautiful,  learned,  religious, 
the  unhappy  instrument  of  her  ambitious  rela- 
tives, she  was  now  called  upon  by  the  inexorable 
Mary  to  prepare  for  death.  The  summons  was 
received  with  composure,  for  it  announced  the 
approach  of  that  hour  of.  release  from  trouble  to 
which  she  had  long  been  looking  forward.  With 
calmness  and  clearness  of  mind  she  defended 
her  creed  against  the  arguments  of  the  priest, 
sent  to  convert  her  to  the  Catholic  faith.  In  a 
letter  to  her  father,  "  she  expressed  her  sense  of 
her  sin  in  assuming  the  royal  dignity,  though  he 
knew  unwillingly  she  was  drawn  into  it."  "She 
rejoiced,"  she  continued,  "  at  her  approaching 
end,  since  nothing  could  be  to  her  more  wel- 
come than  to  be  delivered  from  that  valley  of 
misery,  into  that  heavenly  throne  to  which  she 
hoped  to  be  advanced."  To  her  sister  she  sent 
the  Greek  Testament,  which  had  been  her  daily 
companion,  extolling  most  earnestly  its  inestima- 
ble value,  and  exhorting  her  to  read  and  obey  its 
instructions. 

On  the  day  of  her  execution  her  husband 
desired  to  take  leave  of  her.  This  request  she 


EXECUTION  OF  LADY  JANE  GREY. 

declined,  as  to  comply  with  it  would  only  increase 
their  grief,  and  they  would  soon  meet,  as  she 
trusted,  never  to  be  again  separated.  She  even 
had  the  firmness  to  gaze  upon  his  headless  body, 
as  it  was  brought  back,  after  his  execution,  to 
the  Tower  to  be  buried.  On  the  scaffold  the 
Lady  Jane  confessed  that  her  usurpation  of  the 
crown  was  unlawful,  that  she  had  also  too  much 
neglected  the  word  of  God,  and  loved  too  much 
herself  and  the  world.  Then,  "  having  desired 
the  people's  prayers,  she  knelt  down  and  repeated 
the  fifty-first  Psalm ;  then  she  undressed  herself, 
stretched  out  her  head  on  the  block  and  cried, 
Lord,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit ;  and 
so  her  head  was  cut  off." 

Mary,  finding  that  she  had  increased  her 
power  and  terrified  her  subjects  into  submission, 
by  suppressing  the  rebellion  and  by  the  executions 
which  followed,  was  now  resolved  to  carry  into 
effect  her  other  plans.  In  1554  she  married 
Philip,  and  in  the  same  year  measures  were 
adopted  publicly  to  reconcile  her  kingdom  to 
the  Romish  church.  This  latter  act  was  per- 
formed by  the  Pope's  legate,  Cardinal  Pole. 

Pole,  a  man  of  mild  and  amiable  temper, 
was  a  kinsman  of  Henry  VIII.  and  a  great 
favorite  with  that  monarch,  till  he  ventured  to 
oppose  his  divorce  from  Catherine.  This  drew 
upon  him  the  displeasure  of  the  king,  and  he  left 


226    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

England  in  disgrace,  and  repaired  to  Rome  where 
he  was  treated  with  great  regard.  On  the  acces- 
sion of  Mary  he  returned  home,  as  the  agent  of 
the  Pope,  and  granted  absolution  to  the  English 
people  for  their  apostasy  from  the  Church.  To 
explain  the  ease  with  which  this  revolution  was 
accomplished,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
nobility  were  more  concerned  about  their  prop- 
erty than  about  their  religion,  and  that  their 
consent  to  the  desire  of  the  queen  to  make  peace 
with  the  papal  court  was  obtained  by  a  promise 
on  her  part,  not  to  deprive  them  of  the  wealth 
they  had  obtained  amid  the  havoc  in  the  pre- 
ceding reign. 

This  reconciliation  with  Rome  was  accom- 
panied by  the  almost  complete  restoration  of  the 
old  religion.  To  show  her  sincerity  and  zeal 
the  intolerant  queen  treated  her  Protestant  sub- 
jects with  a  severity  so  unmitigated,  that  she  has 
deservedly  been  styled  the  Bloody  Mary.  Justice, 
however,  requires  us  to  say  that  this  epithet  was 
merited  rather  by  the  extent  than  by  the  nature 
of  her  sanguinary  acts ;  for  both  the  Reformers 
and  the  Catholics,  in  those  days,  held  and  prac- 
tised upon  the  doctrine  that  heresy  should  be 
punished  by  fire. 

The  severest  laws  against  those  who  rejected 
the  doctrines  of  the  Romish  Church  had  been 
revived,  and  the  question  as  to  their  enforcement 


JOHN    ROGERS.  227 

was  now  debated  in  the  royal  council.  Pole, 
sincere  as  he  was  in  his  devotion  to  popery, 
recommended  a  mild  and  merciful  course ;  while 
Gardiner,  who  had  never  allowed  his  creed  to 
stand  much  in  the  way  of  his  interest  or  safety, 
urged  the  adoption  of  violent  measures.  The 
advice  of  the  latter  best  suited  the  disposition  of 
the  queen,  and  accordingly  the  fires  of  martyrdom 
were  soon  kindled.  To  record  in  its  details  the 
history  of  that  dreadful  persecution  which  con- 
tinued for  three  years,  and  during  which  it  is 
said  two  hundred  and  seventy  persons  perished 
at  the  stake,  is  a  task  too  horrible  to  be  under- 
taken. We  can  only  advert  to  the  cases  of  a  few 
of  the  victims,  premising  the  remark  that  our 
sympathy  for  their  sufferings  must  not  blind  us 
to  the  fact  that  some  of  them,  while  in  power, 
had  inflicted  upon  their  adversaries  the  same 
kind  of  punishment  they  themselves  were  now 
doomed  to  endure. 

The  first  martyr  was  the  memorable  John 
Rogers.  He  was  advised  for  the  sake  of  his 
wife  and  children  to  leave  the  country ;  but  he 
chose  to  remain  and  abide  the  worst.  In  the 
last  sermon  he  preached,  he  exhorted  the  people 
to  beware  of  popery,  idolatry,  and  superstition. 
He  was  condemned  for  maintaining  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  was  not  the  true  church  and 
for  denying  the  "  real  presence."  Upon  receiving 


228    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

his  sentence,  Rogers  asked  permission  to  see  his 
wife  ;  Gardiner  refused  his  request  and  affirmed 
that  she  was  not  his  wife.  She  met  him,  how- 
ever, with  her  ten  children,  one  of  them  an  infant 
at  the  breast,  as  he  was  on  his  way  to  execution. 
This  sight  did  not  shake  his  courage.  At  the 
stake  he  refused  to  recant  arid  receive  a  pardon. 
The  faggots  were  then  set  on  fire  and  he  ex- 
pired. The  death  of  Rogers  was  followed  by  that 
of  Lawrence  Saunders.  This  clergyman  had 
continued  to  preach,  notwithstanding  the  prohibi- 
tion of  the  queen.  It  is  said  that  when  he  was 
brought  before  Bonner  and  commanded  to  write 
his  opinion  concerning  transubstantiation,  he 
obeyed  without  hesitation,  saying,  as  he  delivered 
the  writing,  "  My  Lord,  ye  do  seek  rny  blood, 
and  ye  shall  have  it.  I  pray  God  that  ye  may 
be  so  baptized  in  it,  that  ye  may  thereafter  loath 
blood-making  and  become  a  better  man."  After 
an  imprisonment  of  more  than  a  year  Saunders 
was  sent  to  Coventry  to  be  burnt.  He  embraced 
the  stake  and  died  exclaiming  "  Welcome  the 
cross  of  Christ,  welcome  everlasting  life." 

Hooper,  bishop  of  Gloucester,  was  another 
victim.  When  the  executioners  were  binding  him 
with  chains,  he  desired  them  to  spare  their  labor, 
for  he  was  confident  he  should  make  no  attempt 
to  escape.  The  wood  being  green  kindled 
slowly,  and  the  martyr  called  upon  the  people  to 


LATIMER.  229 

bring  more  fire.  This  they  did ;  but  the  wind 
blew  the  flame  and  smoke  aside,  and  it  was  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  before  Kis  agony  terminated. 
One  of  his  hands  dropped  off  before  he  died  ; 
with  the  other  he  continued  to  smite  his  breast 
until  the  last. 

Passing  over  many  other  instances  of  men 
who  were  found  ready  to  sacrifice  their  lives, 
rather  than  do  violence  to  their  consciences,  we 
come  to  Latimer. 

Hugh  Latimer  was  born  in  the  year  1475.  In 
the  early  part  of  his  life  he  was  a  zealous  Catho- 
lic ;  but  he  was  afterwards  converted  by  Thomas 
Bilney,  with  whom  he  contracted  a  friendship  at 
Cambridge,  and  became  thenceforward  one  of 
the  most  active  and  fearless  of  the  Reformers. 
During  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  he  was  fre- 
quently exposed  to  danger  from  the  Romanists, 
and  the  great  exertions  made  by  his  patrons  at 
court  alone  prevented  his  sharing  the  fate  of 
Bilney.  Latimer  confined  his  attention  to  his 
clerical  duties  and  meddled  but  little  with  poli- 
tics. His  moral  character  was  pure,  his  piety 
warm ;  and  these  together  with  his  wit  and 
humor  made  him  a  popular  and  efficient  preach- 
er. Henry,  who  respected  his  blunt  sincerity, 
bestowed  upon  him,  in  1535,  the  see  of  Wor- 
cester. In  this  station  Latimer  failed  not  to 
rebuke  the  vices  of  the  day ;  neither  rank,  nor 
20 


230         SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

power  saved  the  wicked  from  his  censure  ;  and 
more  than  once  he  boldly  denounced  the  sins  of 
the  king  himself. 

Many  attempts  were  made  to  destroy  his  influ- 
ence by  those  who  dreaded  his  honest  zeal ;  but 
they  were  unsuccessful  until  the  passage  of  the 
Six  Articles.  Latimer  would  neither  vote  for 
them  nor  assent  to  them.  He  resigned  his  bish- 
opric, and,  when  he  threw  off  his  robes,  leapt  up 
and  declared  that "  he  felt  lighter  than  he  had  ever 
found  himself  before."  He  then  retired  to  the 
country  where  he  meant  to  spend  the  remainder 
of  his  days ;  but  being  obliged  to  visit  London 
for  medical  advice  he  was  accused  of  having 
spoken  against  the  Six  Articles  and  cast  into 
prison. 

On  the  accession  of  Edward,  Latimer  was 
released  and  took  up  his  residence  at  the  house 
of  Cranmer.  He  was  often  called  upon  to  preach 
before  the  king ;  and  such  was  the  fame  of  his 
eloquence,  that,  to  accommodate  the  crowds  who 
flocked  to  hear  him,  the  pulpit  was  removed  from 
the  royal  chapel  into  the  garden.  "  Upon  these 
occasions  he  attacked  the  vices  of  the  great  with 
honest  freedom ;  charging  them  in  particular 
with  covetousness,  bribery,  and  extortion  so  em- 
phatically, that  it  was  impossible  for  them  by  any 
self-deceit  to  avoid  the  direct  application  of  his 
reproofs  to  themselves.  And  so  great  was  the 


LATIMER.  231 

effect  of  his  sermons,  that  restitution  was  made 
to  the  king  of  very  considerable  sums  of  which 
he  had  been  defrauded." 

When  Mary  came  to  the  throne,  Latimer,  with 
other  eminent  prelates,  was  again  committed  to 
the  Tower.  The  usual  liveliness  of  his  tamper 
did  not,  however,  forsake  him.  As  a  servant  one 
cold  day  was  leaving  his  apartment,  Latimer 
called  after  him  and  bade  him,  "  tell  his  master 
that  unless  he  took  better  care  of  him  he  should 
certainly  escape  him."  Upon  receiving  this 
message  the  lieutenant  of  the  Tower  came  to 
his  prisoner  for  an  explanation.  "  Why,  you 
expect,  I  suppose,  Mr4.  Lieutenant,"  replied  Lati- 
mer, "  that  I  shall  be  burnt ;  but  if  you  do  not 
allow  me  a  little  fire  this  frosty  weather,  I  can 
tell  you  I  shall  first  be  frozen." 

Latimer  and  his  fellow  prisoners  were  troubled 
with  many  vexatious  examinations.  On  one 
occasion,  when  he  was  ordered  before  those  ap- 
pointed to  sit  as  his  judges,  he  appeared  in  his 
prison-garb,  with  a  cap  buttoned  under  his  chin, 
a  pair  of  spectacles  hanging  at  his  breast,  a  New 
Testament  under  his  arm,  and  a  staff  in  his  hand. 
Being  told  that  he  must  defend  his  opinions  the 
following  day,  he  complained  of  his  age  and  in- 
firmities, and  told  the  commissi6ners  that  he  was 
just  as  well  qualified  to  be  made  Governor  of 
Calais  as  to  enter  into  a  debate  with  them ;  and 


SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

then  added,  in  allusion  to  the  doctrine  of  the  real 
presence,  that  "  he  had  the  use  of  no  book  but 
that  under  his  arm,  which  he  had  read  seven 
times  over  deliberately,  without  being  able  to  find 
in  it  neither  the  marrow  bones  nor  the  sinews  of 
the  mass."  The  venerable  man  was  conscious 
that  his  faculties  were  impaired  by  time  and 
suffering,  and  would  not,  therefore,  venture  to 
injure,  by  a  weak  support,  what  he  held  to  be  the 
cause  of  truth. 

Bishop  Ridley  and  Latimer  were  sentenced  to 
be  executed  at  the  same  time.  On  the  16th  of 
October,  1555,  they  were  led  to  the  stake.  Lati- 
mer threw  off  his  tattered  gown  and  appeared  in 
a  shroud  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  animated 
by  holy  courage,  "  stood  bolt  upright  as  comely 
a  father  as  one  might  lightly  behold."  When  the 
pile  was  set  on  fire,  he  said  to  his  companion  ; 
"Be  of  good  comfort,  Master  Ridley,  arid  play 
the  man;  we  shall  this  day  light  such  a  candle, 
by  God's  grace,  in  England,  as  I  trust  shall  never 
be  put  out."  Latimer  expired  first.  Ridley  who 
was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stake  lingered  in 
agony  till  the  flames  caught  some  gunpowder 
which  had  been  tied  about  his  waist. 

About  this  time  Gardiner  died,  expressing,  as 
it  is  said,  remorse  for  his  deeds,  and  often  repeat- 
ing these  words,  "  Erravi  cum  Petro,  sed  non 
flevi  cum  Petro  —  I  have  erred  with  Peter,  but 


CRANMER.  233 

I  have  not  mourned  with  Peter. "  His  decease 
did  not  put  a  stop  to  the  persecution,  which  con- 
tinued to  rage,  and  among  others  reached  at 
length  Archbishop  Cranmer. 

This  prelate  was  first  arrested  on  the  charge 
of  high  treason,  because  he  countenanced  the 
usurpation  of  the  Lady  Jane  Grey.  Of  this  act 
he  confessed  himself  guilty  and  besought  the  • 
pardon  of  the  queen,  which  was  granted,  she  hav- 
ing determined  to  condemn  him  for  heresy.  He 
was  tried  before  commissioners  sent  from  Rome, 
deprived  of  his  office,  and  degraded  from  his 
dignity.  Afterwards  promises  of  safety  were 
held  out  to  him,  if  he  would  abjure  his  opinions 
and  become  a  Catholic.  Cranmer,  to  preserve 
his  life,  consented  and  solemnly  denied  his  former 
faith.  But  his  enemies  only  meant  to  insult  and 
disgrace  him ;  his  fate  had  been  already  decided. 
On  the  day  appointed  for  his  execution  he  was 
brought  to  St.  Mary's  Church,  Oxford,  there  to 
listen  to  an  account  of  his  extorted  penitence,  and 
to  hear  it  asserted  that  his  errors  were  too  great 
to  be  passed  over  by  any  earthly  tribunal.  When 
he  found  that  there  was  no  hope,  the  Archbishop 
resolved  to  atone  as  far  as  possible  for  his  apos- 
tasy. He  openly  confessed  that  the  fear  of  death 
had  made  him  belie  his  conscience,  and  declared 
his  readiness  to  suffer  for  his  sins.  At  the  stake 
he  showed  much  firmness,  keeping  the 


234    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

hand,  which  had  signed  his  recantation,  extended 
in  the  flames,  that  it  might  be  consumed  before 
the  rest  of  his  body,  crying  out  several  times, 
"  that  unworthy  hand." 

The  tragical  end  of  Cranmer  and  the  coloring 
of  partial  historians  have  given  him  a  reputation 
not  wholly  deserved.  His  life  was  for  the  most 
part  devoted  to  efforts  to  separate  the  church  of 
England  from  that  of  Rome,  and  to  secure  its 
independence.  He  was  also  a  man  of  talents  and 
of  an  amiable  private  character.  But  he  was 
guilty  of  actions  which  ought  materially  to 
lessen  the  sympathy  excited  by  his  dreadful 
death.  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  he  aided 
Henry  VIII.  in  his  attempts  to  get  rid  of  the 
ill-used  Catherine ;  that  he  did  not  oppose  with 
boldness  the  condemnation  of  Anne  Boleyn,  and 
that,  in  general,  he  was  very  submissive  under 
all  the  unjust  and  arbitrary  acts  of  that  tyrant. 
It  was  Cranrner  too  who  sat  in  judgment  upon 
Joan  Bocher,  and  compelled  the  weeping  Edward 
to  sign  the  warrant  for  her  execution.  These 
and  other  facts  are  sad  blots  upon  the  character 
of  one  from  whom  better  things  might  have  been 
expected.  "The  truth  seems  to  have  been,  that 
he  was  fitted  for  private  life,  where  the  dangers, 
trials,  and  temptations  were  less,  and  evil  was 
the  hour  when  he  left  it  to  aid  in  a  Reformation 
which  could  have  gone  on  as  well  without  him. 


DEATH    OF    MARY.  235 

From  that  hour  he  seems  to  have  drifted  upon 
the  stormy  tides  of  party,  and  to  have  maintained 
his  ascendant,  not  by  pressing  gallantly  forward 
to  a  certain  harbour,  but  by  changing  his  course 
as  the  wind  might  happen  to  blow.  That  he 
was  instrumental  in  advancing  a  great  religious 
reform  will  not  entitle  him  to  the  great  name  of 
Reformer.  He  did  not,  like  Luther,  go  out  to 
strive  against  old  abuses  with  a  towering  self- 
devotion.  He  was  not  ready  to  sacrifice  every 
thing  to  the  great  cause  of  truth.  He  did  not 
speak  with  a  voice  of  deep  and  burning  convic- 
tion, which  must  and  would  be  heard.  He  was 
not  found  to  defend  his  cause  with  all  the  world 
against  him,  nor  did  he  master  the  fear  of  death, 
till  he  found  that  no  submission  could  save  him 
from  the  revenge  of  those  who  were  thirsting  for 
his  blood." 

Notwithstanding  the  vengeance  with  which 
she  had  visited  her  own  enemies  and  the  enemies 
of  her  faith,  Mary  wore  an  aching  heart  under 
the  robes  of  royalty.  Passionately  fond  of  her 
husband,  she  strove  without  success  to  induce 
Parliament  to  bestow  upon  him  a  share  of  her 
authority.  And,  to  add  to  her  trouble,  when  Philip 
found  he  could  not  be  sovereign  of  England,  he 
neglected  and  deserted  the  unhappy  queen.  To 
win  back  his  affection  and  to  aid  him  in  his 
ambitious  projects  on  the  continent,  sbe  laid 


236    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

heavy  taxes  upon  the  nation,  and  this  and  her 
cruelty  to  the  Protestants  caused  her  to  be  univer- 
sally hated  by  her  subjects.  These  misfortunes 
preyed  upon  her  health  and  aggravated  the  drop- 
sical complaints  with  which  she  had  for  a  lonsf 
time  been  afflicted,  until  at  last  her  reign  and 
her  life  both  terminated  on  the  17th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1558. 

At  the  decease  of  Mary,  Elizabeth,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Anne  Boleyn,  ascended  the  throne.  This 
princess,  who  narrowly  escaped  being  one  of  her 
sister's  victims,  was  a  Protestant.  Her  accession 
was  therefore  hailed  with  joy  by  the  enemies  of 
popery,  now  more  numerous  than  ever.  They 
hoped  soon  to  see  their  cause  triumphant ;  and 
in  this  they  were  not  disappointed.  The  Refor- 
mation advanced  with  great  rapidity,  until  it  was 
brought  to  a  conclusion  by  several  acts  of  Parlia- 
ment, which  denied  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope 
and  established  the  independence  of  the  Church 
of  England. 


REFORMATION  IN  SCOTLAND.     237 


CHAPTER  XX. 

REFORMATION  IN  SCOTLAND  — PATRICK  HAMILTON  — 
JAMES  V.  — DESIGN  OF  HENRY  VIII.  — DEATH  OF 
JAMES  V.— MARY  STUART  — EARL  OF  ARRAN  RE- 
GENT —  WISHART— ASSASSINATION  OF  CARDINAL 
BEATON  — JOHN  KNOX  —  QUEEN  MOTHER  REGENT  — 
MARY  STUART'S  CLAIM  TO  THE  THRONE  OF  ENG- 
LAND AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES  —  DESTRUCTION  OF 
THE  CHURCHES  — LORDS  OF  THE  CONGREGATION  — 
CIVIL  WAR  — DEATH  OF  THE  QUEEN  REGENT- 
PEACE— ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 
1525  - 1560 

WE  come  next  to  the  Reformation  in  Scot- 
land, which  took  place  almost  simultaneously 
with  that  in  England,  and  is  so  similar  in  its  gen- 
eral features  that  only  a  brief  account  of  it  need 
be  given. 

As  early  as  the  year  1525  there  was  a  law 
forbidding  the  importation  of  any  of  the  books 
of  Luther  into  Scotland,  which,  it  was  said,  had 
always  "  been  clene  of  all  sin,  filth,  and  vice  ;  " 
a  fact  which  shows  that  the  new  opinions  had 
already  made  their  way  into  the  kingdom.  But 
the  honor  of  first  announcing  and  sealing  with 
his  blood  the  doctrines  of  the  German  Refor- 
mers, belongs  to  Patrick  Hamilton,  the  grandson 
of  a  sister  of  James  III.  Having  had  his  atten- 


238   SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

tion  drawn  to  the  new  light  now  breaking  upon 
the  world,  while  yet  a  youth,  he  repaired  to  the 
continent,  where  he  became  the  pupil  and  com- 
panion of  Luther  and  Melancthon.  Anxious  to 
communicate  the  knowledge  he  there  obtained 
to  his  countrymen,  he  returned  home  and  began 
the  attack  upon  the  errors  of  popery ;  but  his 
career  was  short.  He  was  decoyed  by  the  clergy 
to  St.  Andrews,  and  there  committed  to  the  flames 
in  February,  1528. 

The  fate  of  Hamilton  served  rather  to  increase 
than  to  diminish  the  interest  and  courage  of  his 
followers,  and  as  some  one  has  expressed  it,  the 
smoke  of  the  fire  which  consumed  him  infected 
many  with  his  heresy.  Many  of  the  people  and 
even  some  of  the  nobles  began  to  study  and  em- 
brace the  opinions  of  the  Reformers.  Tindal's 
translation  of  the  Scriptures  was  obtained  from 
England  and  the  continent,  and  circulated  in 
private  with  great  diligence.  "One  copy  of  the 
Bible  supplied  several  families.  At  the  dead  of 
night,  when  others  were  asleep,  they  assembled 
in  one  house ;  the  sacred  volume  was  brought 
from  its  concealment ;  and,  while  one  read,  the 
rest  listened  with  mute  attention."  In  this  way 
the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  was  diffused  at 
a  period,  when  it  does  riot  appear  that  there  were 
any  public  teachers  of  the  truth  in  Scotland. 


JAMES    V.  239 

Hamilton  suffered  in  the  early  part  of  the 
feign  of  James  V.,  and  when  that  monarch  was 
under  the  control  of  the  Earl  of  Angus.  Soon 
afterwards  the  king  escaped  from  his  keeper  and 
took  the  government  into  his  own  hands.  As 
James  was  a  wise  and  good,  so,  in  any  other 
country  or  at  a  later  period,  he  would  probably 
have  been  a  fortunate  prince.  But  the  Scottish 
nobility  were  rude  and  turbulent,  and  but  little 
disposed  to  respect  the  authority  of  the  crown. 
To  this  circumstance  is  to  be  attributed  in  part 
the  unwillingness  of  James  to  tolerate  the  Re- 
formers, a  course  to  which  at  one  time  he  seemed 
inclined.  His  uncle  Henry  VIII.  urged  him  to 
follow  his  example  and  throw  off  the  yoke  of 
Rome.  But  the  king  of  Scotland  dreaded  the 
power  of  England  and  the  violence  of  her  mon- 
arch ;  and  besides,  he  found  the  clergy  from 
their  skill  and  learning  more  fit  to  assist  him 
in  the  administration  of  his  government  than  the 
fierce  and  ignorant  nobles.  He  therefore  resolved 
to  adhere  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  to  defend 
himself  against  the  indignation  of  Henry  by  an 
alliance  with  France.  He  first  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  I.,  who  died  within  forty  days  after 
her  marriage.  He  then  obtained  the  hand  of 
Mary  of  Guise,  whose  family  were  bigoted 
papists. 


240    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

Thus  supported  by  their  sovereign  the  clergy 
took  violent  measures  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the 
opinions  of  the  Reformers,  which  were  zealously 
advocated  by  learned  men,  who  had  adopted 
them  while  pursuing  their  studies  in  the  German 
and  other  foreign  universities.  Several  persons 
were  burnt ;  stricter  arid  more  sanguinary  laws 
were  passed  for  the  punishment  of  heresy  ;  and 
to  dispute  the  power  of  the  Pope,  was  made  a 
capital  offence. 

This  severity  did  not  stop  the  progress  of  the 
Protestant  cause.  Many  of  the  nobles,  displeased 
with  the  partiality  of  the  king  towards  the  clergy, 
and  anxious  to  enrich  themselves  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  religious  houses,  began  to  favor  the 
Reformers,  and  to  countenance  Henry  VIII.  in 
his  renewed  efforts  to  form  an  alliance  with  his 
nephew.  The  king  of  England  sent  an  ambas- 
sador to  James,  to  represent  the  advantages  he 
would  gain  by  a  rupture  with  the  Pope,  and  to 
propose  a  personal  interview  with  him  at  York, 
where  they  could  consult  as  to  the  means  of  pro- 
moting the  mutual  good  of  their  two  kingdoms. 
James  gave  a  partial  assent  to  this  invitation  ; 
but,  being  under  the  influence  of  the  Catholics, 
he  was  induced  to  retract  it.  Henry  immediately 
declared  war ;  and  the  Scottish  army  were  de- 
feated in  a  battle  fought  at  a  place  called  Solway- 
Moss.  When  the  news  of  this  misfortune  was 


EARL  OF  ARRAN,  REGENT.      241 

received,  James  shut  himself  up  in  his  palace 
and  refused  to  listen  to  any  consolation.  His 
grief  and  shame  brought  on  a  fever.  Being  told 
of  the  birth  of  a  daughter,  he  only  replied,  "  It 
(meaning  the  crown)  came  with  a  lass  and  it  will 
go  with  a  lass  :  "  —  then  turning  his  face  to  the 
wall  he  soon  after  died  of  a  broken  heart.  The 
infant  who  entered  the  world  at  such  a  mournful 
season  was  that  Mary  Stuart  whose  beauty,  mis- 
fortunes, errors,  and  tragical  end  form  so  interest- 
ing a  page  in  the  history  of  Scotland. 

Mary,  a  babe  only  a  few  days  old,  ascended  the 
throne  in  December,  1542.  The  affairs  of  the 
country  were  in  a  most  distracted  state.  Two 
adverse  factions  contended  for  the  supreme 
power ;  the  one  led  by  the  queen's  mother,  Mary 
of  Guise,  and  Cardinal  David  Beaton  ;  and  the 
other  by  the  Earl  of  Arran.  Arran,  supported 
by  the  nobility  and  the  Reformers,  obtained  the 
victory  and  was  made  Regent. 

Arran  at  first  chose  his  counsellors  from  among 
the  Reformers.  He  showed  a  disposition  also  to 
favor  the  new  project  of  Henry  VIII. ,  which  was 
to  unite  England  and  Scotland  by  a  marriage 
between  his  son  Edward  and  the  infant  Mary  ; 
and,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  clergy 
to  this  measure,  the  match  was  agreed  to  by  Par- 
liament. But  the  Regent  was  a  fickle  and  timid 
man,  and  Cardinal  Beaton  and  the  Queen  Mother 
21 


242    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

had  the  address  to  persuade  him  not  only  to  re- 
nounce the  friendship  of  the  king  of  England, 
but  also  publicly  to  abjure  the  reformed  religion, 
In  consequence  of  this  change  the  popish  party 
came  into  power,  and  the  young  queen  of  the 
Scots  was  betrothed  to  the  Dauphin,  or  eldest 
son  of  the  king  of  France,  and  sent  to  that  coun- 
try for  her  education. 

While  it  received  the  patronage  of  the  Earl  of 
Arran,  the  Reformation  made  considerable  pro- 
gress. Laws  were  passed  permitting  the  people 
to  read  the  Scriptures ;  the  Bible  was  found 
in  the  houses  of  the  gentry,  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  the  hands  of  all  classes ;  and  the  Protes- 
tant preachers  by  their  activity  and  eloquence 
made  many  converts.  But  upon  the  apostasy  of 
the  Regent,  the  cruel  arid  severe  Cardinal  Bea- 
ton had  almost  the  entire  management  of  the 
affairs  of  the  kingdom,  and  soon  again  kindled 
the  fires  of  martyrdom.  The  principal  victim 
was  George  Wishart,  a  preacher  celebrated  for 
his  zeal  and  wisdom.  He  was  burnt  at  the  Cas- 
tle of  St.  Andrews.  Beaton  sat  on  the  walls  of 
the  castle  that  he  might  behold  with  his  own  eyes 
the  sufferings  of  the  martyr.  When  Wishart 
was  brought  out  he  looked  to  the  Cardinal  and 
then  said  to  the  captain  of  the  guard,  "  May  God 
forgive  yonder  man  who  lies  so  proudly  on  the 
wall,  —  within  a  few  days  he  shall  be  seen  lying 


JOHN    KNOX.  243 

there  in  as  much  shame  as  he  now  shows  pomp 
and  vanity." 

This  prediction  was  soon  fulfilled.  The  death 
of  Wishart  increased  men's  hatred  of  his  judge ; 
and  a  band  of  sixteen  conspirators,  actuated 
partly  by  a  desire  to  avenge  that  cruel  deed,  and 
partly  by  some  private  grudge,  assaulted  and  slew 
Beaton  in  his  own  chamber,  and  exposed  his  man- 
gled body  on  the  battlements  of  the  Castle. 

When  the  slaughter  of  the  obnoxious  Cardinal 
became  known,  many  of  the  Reformers,  who, 
although  they  did  not  approve  of  the  manner  in 
which  that  deed  was  executed,  yet  rejoiced  at 
the  decease  of  their  great  enemy,  joined  the 
conspirators  and  aided  them  in  their  defence  of 
the  castle.  Among  these  was  the  famous  John 
Knox,  who  has"  been  called  the  Father  of  the 
Reformation  in  Scotland. 

Knox  was  born  of  respectable  parents  at  Gif- 
ford,  a  village  of  East-Lothian,  in  the  year  1505. 
He  studied  at  the  University  of  St.  Andrews, 
and  took  orders  as  a  Catholic  priest.  He  early 
embraced  the  cause  of  the  Reformers,  and  was 
greatly  benefited  by  the  instructions  and  discours- 
es of  Wishart.  During  the  persecution  by  Bea- 
ton, Knox  was  a  tutor  in  the  families  of  two 
gentlemen,  who  were  friendly  to  the  new  religion. 
Disgusted  with  the  cruelty  and  restrained  from 
preaching  by  the  commands  of  the  Cardinal,  he 


244        SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

was  on  the  point  of  leaving  Scotland,  when  the 
assassination  of  that  prelate  changed  his  purpose 
and  led  him  to  join  his  brethren  at  St.  Andrews. 
While  in  that  fortress,  he  continued  to  instruct 
his  pupils  and  began  to  preach.  His  learning 
and  eloquence  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the  Refor- 
mation, and  the  number  of  converts  to  that  cause 
was  rapidly  increasing,  when  his  labors  were  for 
the  present  suddenly  brought  to  a  close. 

The  regent,  having  received  reinforcements 
from  France,  made  a  new  attack  upon  the  Castle, 
and  compelled  the  insurgents  to  surrender  ;  and 
the  garrison,  together  with  Knox  and  other 
preachers,  were  sent  on  board  the  French 
galleys.  The  commanders  of  these  prison-ships 
employed  both  solicitation  and  violence  to  pre- 
vail upon  their  captives  to  change  their  religion. 
On  one  occasion  an  incident  took  place,  which  is 
thus  related  by  a  biographer  of  Knox,  who  sup- 
poses that  he  was  the  person  referred  to.  "  One 
day  a  fine  painted  image  of  the  Virgin  was 
brought  into  one  of  the  galleys,  and  a  Scots 
prisoner  was  desired  to  give  it  the  kiss  of  adora- 
tion. He  refused,  saying  that  such  idols  were 
accursed,  and  he  would  not  touch  it."  "  Bat  you 
shall  ,"  replied  one  of  the  officers  roughly,  thru|t- 
ing  it  in  his  face  and  placing  it  between  his 
hands.  Upon  this  he  took  hold  of  the  image, 
and  watching  his  opportunity  threw  it  into  the 


JOHN    KNOX. 

water,  "  Let  our  Lady  now  save  T        

light  enough,  let  her  learn  to  swim."  The 
officers  with  difficulty  recovered  their  image,  and 
their  prisoners  were  relieved  for  the  future  from 
such  troublesome  importunities. 

In  February,  1549,  Knox  was  released  from 
confinement  and  repaired  to  England,  where,  as  a 
chaplain  to  king  Edward  or  an  itinerant  preacher, 
he  remained  until  the  accession  of  Mary ;  after 
which  he  went  to  Geneva  and  formed  a  friendship 
with  John  Calvin,  the  celebrated  Reformer  of  that 
city. 

The  Catholic  party  maintained  their  author- 
ity in  Scotland  until  the  year  1554,  when  a 
change  took  place  in  the  government  of  the 
kingdom.  The  queen  mother  by  her  intrigues 
induced  Arran  to  resign  the  regency,  and  obtained 
that  office  for  herself.  Although  she  was  herself 
a  Catholic,  the  new  Regent  found  it  for  her  inter- 
est to  favor  the  Scottish  Protestants  and  even  to 
protect  their  English  brethren,  who  at  this  time 
fled  to  Scotland  to  avoid  the  persecution  of  the 
Bloody  Mary. 

Knox,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  this  revolution  in 
affairs,  returned  home  and  preached  privately  for 
some  time  in  Edinburgh.  Afterwards  he  ex- 
tended his  labors  to  other  parts  of  the  country. 
The  clergy  at  length  heard  of  him,  and  his 
preaching  formed  a  topic  of  conversation  in  the 


246         SKETCH    OF    THE    REFORMATION. 

presence  of  the*Regent.  .  At  one  time  some  one 
affirmed  that  it  was  an  Englishman,  who  was  so 
successful  and  collected  such  large  audiencies. 
"  Nay,"  replied  a  haughty  prelate,  "  no  En- 
glishman, but  it  is  Knox,  that  knave.  "  Efforts 
were  made  by  the  Romanists  to  have  the  knave 
arrested,  but  they  were  not  supported  by  the 
Queen  Regent.  While  he  was  thus  employed, 
Knox  received  an  invitation  from  an  English 
Congregation  at  Geneva  to  become  one  of  their 
pastors,  which  he  accepted  and  left  Scotland, 
July,  1556. 

For  a  few  years  after  the  departure  of  Knox, 
the  Reformation  made  a  quiet  but  steady  progress. 
The  Protestant  ministers  were  protected  by  many 
nobles  of  high  rank,  and  their  hearers  were 
always  ready  to  show  their  patriotism  by  support- 
ing the  government  in  its  wars  with  England. 
This  state  of  things  was,  however,  altered  when 
the  queen  regent  was  persuaded  to  adopt  a  differ- 
ent course  from  that  she  had  hitherto  pursued,  and 
instead  of  encouraging  to  endeavour  to  put  an 
end  to  the  new  religion.  Her  plan  was  defeated, 
and  a  revolution  took  place  which  ended  in  the 
entire  downfal  of  popery  in  Scotland.  To  give  the 
reader  a  clear  account  of  this  event  it  will  be 
necessary  to  advert  for  a  moment  to  a  few  facts  in 
the  civil  history  of  this  period. 


MARY    STUART.  247 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Mary  Stuart  was 
sent  to  France  to  be  educated  as  the  betrothed  wife 
of  Francis  the  Dauphin.  The  proposed  marriage 
had  now  been  solemnized  ;  and  the  uncles  of  the 
bride,  the  dukes  of  Lorraine,  as  the  princes  of 
the  Guise  family  were  called,  undertook  the  bold 
enterprise  of  seating  their  niece  upon  the  throne 
of  England.  Mary  argued  that,  as  the  popes 
never  sanctioned  the  divorce  of  Henry  VIII. 
from  Catherine  of  Arragon,  or  his  subsequent 
union  with  Anne  Boleyn,  Elizabeth  was  illegiti- 
mate and  had  no  right  to  the  crown  she  now 
wore  ;  but  that  it  properly  belonged  to  the  Queen 
of  the  Scots,  who,  as  the  granddaughter  of  Mar- 
garet, Henry's  sister,  was  the  next  heir.  The 
court  of  France  were  induced  by  this  argument 
to  support  the  pretensions  of  Mary.  At  the  in- 
stigation of  her  brothers  the  Queen  Regent  also 
joined  in  the  proposed  attempt ;  and  one  of  her 
first  steps  was  to  change  her  conduct  towards  the 
Reformers,  who  looked  upon  Elizabeth  as  one  of 
the  champions  of  their  cause. 

The  Regent  began  to  throw  off  the  mask,  by 
ordering  the  Protestant  preachers  to  appear  at  a 
court  of  justice  to  be  holden  in  Sterling  on  the 
10th  of  May,  1559  ;  but  such  a  concourse  of 
friends  followed  them,  that  she  promised  not  to 
proceed  with  the  trial  provided  they  would  not 
enter  the  town.  The  accused  complied  with  her 


248    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

terms,  but  she  broke  her  part  of  the  engagement, 
and  had  them  proclaimed  outlaws  for  not  appear- 
ing. This  •  deceitful  conduct  alarmed  the  Re- 
formers, and  they  prepared  to  defend  themselves 
by  an  appeal  to  arms. 

At  this  critical  moment  Knox  returned  to  Scot- 
land ;  and  an  incident  happened  at  his  appear- 
ance which  hurried  on  the  hour  of  strife.  Knox 
preached  at  Perth,  the  principal  head-quarters  of 
the  Protestants,  against  the  sin  of  idolatry,  and  in 
his  sermon  failed  not  to  reproach  the  Regent  for 
her  late  breach  of  faith. 

When  the  discourse  was  finished,  and  while  the 
people  were  much  moved  by  its  effects,  a  priest 
produced  a  little  glass  case,  containing  images  of 
saints,  and  called  upon  the  crowd  to  worship  them. 
A  boy  cried  out,  "  that  was  gross  and  sinful 
idolatry."  "  The  priest,  as  incautious  in  his  pas- 
sion as  ill-timed  in  his  devotion,  struck  the  boy  a 
blow;  and  the  lad,  in  revenge,  threw  a  stone, 
which  broke  one  of  the  images.  Immediately 
all  the  people  began  to  cast  stones,  not  only  at  the 
images,  but  at  the  fine  painted  windows,  and 
filially  pulled  down  the  altars,  defaced  the  orna- 
ments of  the  church,  and  nearly  destroyed  the 
whole  building."  This  example,  although  cen- 
sured by  the  better  class  of  the  Reformers,  was 
followed  in  other  places;  and  many  noble  edifices 
were  either  totally  demolished  or  reduced  to  piles 
of  shapeless  ruins. 


PEACE.  249 

These  outrages  increased  the  displeasure  of 
the  Regent  towards  the  Reformers.  She  refused 
to  listen  to  their  apologies  and  petitions,  and  at 
last  left  them  no  alternative  but  to  maintain  their 
rights  with  the  sword.  To  prepare  for  the  con- 
flict, the  Protestant  leaders  formed  a  league  to- 
gether under  the  name  of  The  Lords  of  the 
Congregation.  A  civil  war  which  now  broke 
out  was  not  carried  on  very  violently.  The 
Queen  Regent  depended  upon  troops  sent  over 
from  France.  The  Congregation  were  supported 
by  an  army  from  England.  Both  parties  at  times 
had  the  advantage  ;  but  finally  the  Reformers, 
whose  numbers  were  constantly  on  the  increase, 
gained  the  day. 

The  Queen  Regent  died  June  10,  1560  ;  and 
Francis  and  Mary,  now  sovereigns  of  France, 
determined  to  restore  peace  to  Scotland.  They 
granted  a  general  pardon  for  all  offences  com- 
mitted during  the  war  ;  they  agreed  that  the 
government  should  be  vested  in  a  council  to  be 
chosen  by  Parliament,  to  which  body  they  also 
left  the  subject  of  religion  to  be  disposed  of  as 
they  judged  best.  The  foreign  troops,  which 
had  been  employed  on  both  sides  in  the  late 
contest,  were  withdrawn.  The  Parliament  as- 
sembled in  August,  1560,  and  proceeded  "  to 
condemn  unanimously  the  whole  fabric  of  popery, 
and  adopted  instead  of  the  doctrines  of  the 


250    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

church  of  Rome  the  tenets  contained  in  a  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  drawn  up  by  the  most  popular  of 
the  Protestant  divines.  Thus  the  whole  reli- 
gious constitution  of  the  church  was  at  once 
altered." 


CONCLUSION.  251 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

CONCLUSION. 

IN  the  foregoing  pages  the  aim  has  been  to 
give  a  general  view  of  the  Reformation  in  the 
16th  century,  by  selecting  the  most  important 
and  interesting  facts  connected  with  that  event. 
Before  closing  the  work  it  may  be  well  to  add  a 
few  remarks,  to  aid  the  young  reader  in  the  for- 
mation of  a  correct  judgment  concerning  the 
character  and  consequences  of  a  revolution, 
which  has  been  the  cause  of  such  momentous 
changes  in  the  condition  of  Christendom. 

In  reading  the  history  of  the  Reformation 
care  should  be  taken  not  to  imbibe  unjust  and 
false  prejudices  against  the  Romish  Church. 
That  history  necessarily  exhibits  many  of  the 
worst  errors,  and  the  most  abandoned  supporters 
of  popery.  To  receive  it  therefore  as  containing 
the  whole  truth  in  regard  to  the  papal  system, 
would  be  a  grent  mistake.  Corrupt  as  were  the 
prevalent  ideas  of  Christianity,  while  Europe 
was  shrouded  in  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  and 
gross  as  were  the  abuses  introduced  by  those 
who,  to  accomplish  their  own  bad  ends,  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  superstitious  credulity  of  the 


252    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

people,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  no  good 
thing  remained  in  the  church.  Among  the  op- 
ponents of  the  Reformers  were  men  of  piety, 
sincere  in  their  attachment  to  the  ancient  faith, 
and  conscientious  in  their  dread  of  innovations. 
Many  of  the  clergy  were  indeed  wicked,  many 
of  the  monasteries  the  abodes  of  vice,  and  many 
men  clung  to  popery  from  base  motives  ;  but 
there  were  also  those  among  the  priesthood 
whose  lives  were  pure,  there  were  religious 
houses  where  God  was  worshipped  in  sincerity, 
and  man  was  loved  as  a  brother,  and,  among  the 
thousands  who  adhered  to  the  old  religion,  mul- 
titudes undoubtedly  did  so  from  a  belief  that 
it  was  true.  This  statement  finds  proof  of  its 
correctness  in  the  fact,  that  the  most  diligent  and 
pure-hearted  among  the  Reformers  came  from 
the  bosom  of  the  church.  Luther,  Melancthon, 
Zwingle,  Knox,  and  others,  were  once  Catho- 
lics ;  and  even  in  the  darkest  of  the  middle 
ages  we  may  believe  that  many  a  pure  spirit 
was  illuminated  and  warmed  by  rays  from  the 
"  sun  of  righteousness." 

Another  error  which  some  Protestant  writers 
have  encouraged,  and  against  which  the  reader 
of  the  history  of  the  Reformation  ought  to  be 
on  his  guard,  is  the  impression  that  Roman 
Catholics  of  the  present  day  are  necessarily 
chargeable  with  the  same  faults,  as  the  Roman 


CONCLUSION.  253 

Catholics  of  former  times.  However  far  from 
the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel  and  pure  Christi- 
anity the  church  of  Rome  in  its  government 
and  its  doctrines  may  have  wandered,  it  would 
be  wrong  to  imagine  that  it  has  remained  always 
the  same,  or  been  entirely  unaffected  by  the 
changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  world 
within  a  few  centuries.  Catholics  as  well  as 
Protestants  have  been  taught  wisdom ;  and  the 
former  as  well  as  the  latter  have  been  benefited 
by  the  clearer  light  which  has  been  shed  upon 
the  page  of  Revelation  ;  and  where  they  have 
been  placed  on  a  footing  with  other  sects,  and 
enjoyed  the  privileges  of  knowledge,  they  have 
given  to  the  world,  bright  examples  of  Christian 
character.  Justice  demands  that  this  should  be 
remembered  in  their  favor,  however  much  we 
may  deplore  what  seems  to  us  their  corrupt  faith  ; 
and  justice  also  demands  that  they  be  judged  of 
according  to  their  own  deeds  and  opinions,  at 
any  particular  period,  and  not  be  made  to  answer 
for  the  sins  or  absurdities  of  their  ancestors.  It 
is  unfair  and  irrational  to  argue  that,  because  in 
an  age  of  comparative  darkness  a  church  was 
sadly  corrupt,  it  must  be  equally  so  in  an  age  of 
greater  knowledge. 

Again,  while  discrimination   and  charity  are 
to  be  exercised  towards  the  defenders  of  popery 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  we  are  to  avoid  bestow- 
22 


254    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

ing  unqualified  admiration  upon  its  adversa- 
ries. Gratitude  for  the  blessings  they  were 
instrumental  in  procuring  has  sometimes  be- 
trayed men  into  extravagant  eulogy  of  the  Re- 
formers. It  has  been  forgotten  that  they  were 
but  men,  fallible,  imperfect  men,  who  could  not 
be  expected  to  throw  off  at  once  all  the  errors 
which  had  been  accumulating  for  centuries. 
The  time  has  come  to  read  their  history  with  an 
impartial  eye  ;  and  he  who  does  so  read  it  must 
see  that  they  were  guilty  of  many  mistakes. 
These,  it  is  true,  are  to  be  attributed,  for  the 
most  part,  to  the  circumstances  in  which  they 
were  placed,  and  explained  by  a  reference  to  the 
character  of  the  age  in  which  they  lived.  But 
still  they  are  not  on  this  account  to  be  passed 
over  without  exposure.  The  Protestant  leaders 
were  at  times  violent,  intolerant,  and  cruel. 
They  accomplished  their  ends,  in  some  instan- 
ces, by  unjustifiable  means  and  instruments. 
While  they  abandoned  many  of  the  hoary  false- 
hoods of  popery,  they  retained  doctrines  which 
to  us  appear  hardly  less  unscriptural  and  irra- 
tional; while  they  withstood,  even  unto  death, 
the  tyranny  of  Rome,  they  failed  on  more  than 
one  occasion  to  remember  that  "  charity  is  not 
easily  provoked.''  The  obstinacy  and  ill-temper 
of  Luther,  in  refusing  to  meet  the  friendly  ad- 
vances of  Zwingle ;  the  persecution  of  the 


CONCLUSION.  255 

Anabaptists ;  the  martyrdom  of  Joan  Bocher ; 
the  condemnation  of  Sir  Thomas  More ;  the 
destruction  of  the  monasteries,  and  other  sad 
facts,  are  too  plainly  recorded  on  the  page  of  his- 
tory, to  permit  us,  with  all  our  reverence  for  the 
noble  virtues  and  heroic  courage  of  some  of  their 
number,  to  bestow  unqualified  praise  upon  the 
Reformers. 

But  leaving  the  character  of  the  Reformers  to 
be  tried  by  the  history  of  their  deeds,  we  turn  to  a 
more  important  question,  and  that  is,  what  was 
the  result  of  their  labors,  or,  in  other  words,  in 
what  did  the  Reformation  consist  ?  We  will  first 
give  what  seems  to  us  the  true  answer  to  this 
inquiry,  and  afterwards  throw  out  a  few  sugges- 
tions to  show  its  correctness.  We  say,  then,  that 
the  Reformation  consisted  in  a  denial  of  the  su- 
premacy of,  and  a  separation  from,  the  church  of 
Rome,  and  in  the  declaration  of  these  two  princi- 
ples, namely  :  the  sufficiency  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  the  right  of  private  judgment.  Other  bene- 
fits were  gained,  undoubtedly,  by  the  great  revo- 
lution in  the  sixteenth  century  :  but  this  one 
statement  includes  all  that  was  alike  effected  by 
that  event  in  the  different  countries  in  which  it 
took  place,  —  all  that  belongs  to  it  as  a  whole, — 
all  that  can  be  justly  esteemed  its  essence.  And 
even  this  was  not  the  consequence  of  a  distinct 
plan  and  a  definite  purpose,  clearly  formed  and 


256    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

systematically  pursued  by  the  Reformers ;  for 
the  truth  is,  they  had,  at  least  in  the  outset,  no 
plan  and  no  distinct  purpose.  Luther  did  not 
think  of  denying  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope,  when 
he  began  his  attack  upon  Tetzel;  Henry  VIII. 
was  far  from  desiring  a  breach  with  Rome,  when 
he  sued  for  a  divorce  from  Catherine ;  and  it  was 
the  influence  they  had  over  the  king,  rather  than 
any  opposition  to  them  as  papists,  which  led  the 
Scottish  nobles,  in  the  reign  of  James  V.,  to  re- 
gard the  Catholic  clergy  as  enemies.  The  Pro- 
testants were,  in  fact,  driven  by  circumstances 
and  by  the  tide  of  events  over  which  they  had  no 
control,  to  results  which  even  they  had  by  no 
means  anticipated. 

The  Reformation  has  been  frequently  repre- 
sented as  consisting  in  something  more  than  we 
have  allowed.  It  has  been  said,  that  it  was  a 
reform  in  the  government  of  the  church  :  and  so 
it  was  to  some  extent.  But  that  this  was  not  its 
great  result,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  no 
common  form  in  the  administration  of  ecclesias- 
tical affairs  was  adopted  by  the  Protestants. 
The  churches  of  Switzerland,  Germany,  Eng- 
land, and  Scotland  differed  as  much  from  each 
other  in  their  constitution,  as  they  did  from  the 
church  of  Rome.  Again  it  has  been  contended 
that  the  Reformation  was  a  reformation  in  doc- 
trine. That  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  opened 


CONCLUSION.  257 

the  eyes  of  men  to  many  of  the  errors  of  popery, 
and  gave  them  more  correct  views  of  Christianity, 
is  not  to  be  denied.  But  this  was  not  the  one 
great  result  of  the  conflict  with  Catholicism;  for 
the  Reformers  agreed  in  the  reception  of  no 
common  creed.  Zwingle  differed  from  Luther, 
Luther  from  Knox,  and  all  three  of  them  from  the 
church  of  England,  on  many  articles  of  belief.  If 
then  the  Reformation  is  to  be  regarded  as  con- 
sisting in  those  points  common  to  all  who  were 
engaged  in  carrying  it  on,  all  of  these  are  embra- 
ced in  the  statement  given  above ;  for  all  the 
Protestants  denied  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  and 
contended  that  the  Scriptures  were  the  only  rule 
of  faith  and  practice,  and  that  every  one  had  a 
right  to  read  and  interpret  them  for  himself. 

We  have  said  that  two  great  principles  were 
declared  by  the  Reformers ;  but  we  do  not  mean 
by  this  that  they  were  fully  acknowledged  by 
them  in  practice.  For  a  long  time  previous  to 
the  appearance  of  Zwingle  and  Luther,  all  Eu- 
rope admitted  the  authority  of  the  Romish 
Church  to  settle  all  points  of  doctrine  .  Soon  after 
the  conflict  with  the  Pope  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury began,  his  claims  to  infallibility  were  found 
to  be  groundless ;  and  his  opponents  declared  that 
the  Scriptures  were  the  only  standard  of  divine 
truth.  This  declaration  was  most  true ;  but  those 
who  made  it  did  not  act  up  to  it.  They  formed 


258    SKETCH  OF  THE  REFORMATION. 

churches  and  bound  them  together  by  cqnfes- 
sions  of  faith  of  their  own  manufacture,  and  then 
treated  as  heretics  all  who  did  not  receive  their 
paper  creeds.  While  they  denied  the  supremacy 
of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  they  erected  some  other 
human  power  to  lord  it  over  men's  consciences. 
The  care  of  religion  was  intrusted  to  the  state, 
and  kings  and  parliaments  were  allowed  to  dic- 
tate to  the  people  what  they  should  or  should  not 
believe.  Perfect  toleration  was  almost  as  little 
known  among  the  early  Protestants,  as  among 
the  friends  of  popery. 

The  above  remarks  are  not  made  to  censure 
the  Reformers.  The  step  they  took  towards 
religious  liberty  was,  for  them,  a  great  step. 
When  we  remember  how  recent  was  their  escape 
from  the  superstitions  and  tyranny  of  Rome,  we 
are  ready  to  admit  that  they  did  as  much  as  we 
have  a  right  to  expect.  In  adverting  therefore 
to  their  want  of  entire  fidelity  to  their  own  prin- 
ciples, we  only  wish  to  guard  the  young  reader 
against  the  erroneous  impression  that  they 
finished  the  work  which  they  commenced.  They 
struck  the  first  successful  blow,  and  gained  the 
first  victory  in  the  cause  of  religious  liberty. 
They  began  to  remove  those  corruptions  with 
which  Christianity  had  for  a  long  time  been 
obscured,  and  to  restore  its  original  simplicity 
and  power.  Since  their  day  others  have  taken 


CONCLUSION.  259 

up  and  carried  forward  the  great  work ;  and 
with  each  succeeding  generation,  we  trust,  a 
nearer  approach  has  been  made  to  just  concep- 
tions of  the  rights  of  man,  and  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus.  The  spirit  which  animated  the  best  of 
the  Reformers  in  the  sixteenth  century  was  com- 
municated to  their  immediate  posterity.  It  was 
that  spirit  which  bade  the  Pilgrims  brave  the 
storms  of  a  winter's  ocean  and  seek  on  our  rock- 
bound  COaSt  FREEDOM  TO  WORSHIP  GoD. 

The  solemn  obligation  felt  by  our  fathers,  and 
to  discharge  which  they  endured  and  sacrificed 
so  much,  now  rests  upon  their  descendants. 
They  are  now  in  the  place  of  the  Reformers. 
And  every  lover  of  man,  every  friend  to  truth, 
every  disciple  of  Christ,  is  called  upon  to  pro- 
mote the  peace  of  the  church  and  the  progress 
of  undefiled  religion,  by  a  meek,  yet  firm  resist- 
ance to  any  and  every  attempt  to  elevate  the 
authority  of  man  above  the  authority  of  the 
Bible,  or  to  arraign  any  human  being  for  his 
religious  faith,  before  any  tribunal,  except  that 
of  his  conscience  and  his  God. 


END. 


YA  02882 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


